And the winner is . . . . . .

DRUM ROLL PLEASE!!!

Bruce Miller!  I hope you like Max Lucado!  Send me your email address via Facebook or my email, howtopinchapenny@gmail.com, whichever you prefer, and I'll get your new book on its way.

Just as a warning, I love to write down what I'm thinking when I'm reading a book, so I stuck post-its throughout the book when something struck me.  I hope it enriches the reading experience for you a bit.

Max Lucado Outlive Your Life

Courtesy of BookSneeze.com, I was able to read Max Lucado’s book Outlive Your Life.  The purpose of the book is to teach the readers to live in such a way that the decisions they make outlive themselves, for the good of other people.  I found one sentence in chapter 7 that seems to sum up the entire book:  “Works done in God’s name long outlive our earthly lives.” 

I was pleased with Max’s writing style, and I felt like we were having a conversation.  He was speaking kindly, but not so carefully that he was unwilling to point out something that might be uncomfortable or that we might be unwilling to hear.  He made me consider what I am doing in my life at this point and how my actions will impact people around me and the people that I haven’t met yet or may never meet.  I did find once or twice that I disagreed with his interpretation of scripture, concerning a verse that is often misinterpreted, but overall I believe he did a fine job.  The good far outweighs the bad, and I would suggest everyone read it in order to get a more clear perspective on living life.

This is the book I'm giving away on Wednesday.  Remember the way to enter the drawing is to either like the Facebook page (look on the right side of the blog to find it) or subscribe to this blog.  You can get a second entry by sharing one of the blog posts on your Facebook wall and letting me know you did it.  If you don't win, I suggest you use one of the tips in this post or go to http://www.amazon.com/ to check it out.

Win a Free Book!

The book giveaway is coming!  The drawing will be done Wednesday evening, via www.random.org, and the winner will be posted on the blog.  Here is how you enter:

Everyone who likes the Facebook page and/or follows the blog on Blogspot gets one entry.

Everyone who posts a link to the blog on their Facebook page gets another entry.  It would be great if you chose your favorite post to put on your Facebook, but that’s not required.  (Make sure you tell me that you posted, in case I don’t see it.)

Yes, I understand that this is a blatant scheme for getting more people reading the blog.  You don’t mind, do you?

Here’s another couple hints as to the author:  He has been a well-known author for several years, and he ministers at a large church in Texas.  He also has a radio show.  Whoever is the first to correctly guess the author will get two extra entries into the drawing!

How Do I Save Money on Books?

I just got a brand new book in the mail today.  There's nothing like cracking a book for the first time.  I sometimes even run my hand across the paper or flip the pages a little with my thumb.  Just a kind of get-to-know-you moment. 

In honor of the new book, I want to give you some tips on how to save money on books.  (Make sure you go all the way to the bottom; I promise you won't want to miss the last tip!)


First of all, there is the tried and true library.  Thank God for Andrew Carnegie, right?  A building chock full of books, and even audio books, movies, magazines and newspapers.  But especially books.  And you can take them home for free!  Just be sure that you get them back on time.  If they sit in your house too long past the due date, those fees start stacking up.

If you have several friends that all like the same kind of book, try swapping with each other.  If you loved it, your friend or neighbor might, too, and chances are they have one that you want to read.

If you like the idea of book-swapping, you might want to take that a step further and try out BookMooch.  BookMooch is a website that allows you to list books that you no longer want.  You earn points by listing books and sending books to other members who are interested in those books.  Then you spend those points by requesting books that other members have listed.  This works great except for books that are particularly heavy because you do have to pay postage.  Generally though, postage is cheaper than buying a book new.

Try out used book stores.  You never know what you're going to get; some are fabulous, and some are not so great, but you may find some great buys.  Many used book stores also buy used books for either cash or store credit, but you'll want to be careful of that.  BookMooch may net you a better deal if the used book store doesn't pay much for your book.

Go yard saling.  This does take some patience and gas in the car, but you never know what you might find looking through the book collections that people no longer want.  I especially like church and other fundraising type sales because so many people are donating their items, not to mention knowing your money is going to a good cause.  Also sometimes libraries will purge their shelves and have a book sale.  Just imagine how many great books will be there!

Be particular about the books you buy.  If you don't really think you'll end up reading it, don't get it.  And if you're unsure if you're going to like it, check out the reviews.  Get a better idea of what you're in for, and if it sounds like it's up your alley, go for it.  If not, let it pass you by.

Consider the timing of your purchase.  If it's a new release, it's going to be more expensive.  Wait a while, if you can stand it.  Even better, wait till it's released as a paperback.  You've always heard patience is a virtue! :)

Get familiar with the classics.  Did you know that a lot of classics are no longer copyrighted and are available online?  You don't get a hard copy of the book to set on your shelf, but you can read it.  And if you love it and want a hard copy, then go buy it.  Project Gutenberg is a great place to look for those classics.  And there is an iPhone app called Stanza that links to Project Gutenberg and other similar sites that allow you to download the books right to your phone.  I read The Count of Monte Cristo and Alice in Wonderland that way not long ago.

Another way is to check out used bookstores online.  Barnes and Noble, Amazon and many other web sites have used books alongside of their new books.  Just make sure the shipping cost doesn't negate the benefit of buying used. 

One last way to save money on books:  win them!  I am going to be giving away the book I received in the mail to one lucky reader!  Keep watching to find out how you can win. 

Here's a hint for what the book is.  The author was born in and now lives in the state of Texas.

you CAN get stuff for free!

Stacy just commented on an earlier entry about a coupon victory she had this weekend.

"Scored my first freebie yesterday at Dollar General. Had a coupon for Reach floss that matched the price of the item! Small beginning, but feels good."

When it comes to shopping, there's not much that's more fun than getting something for nothing without racking up a criminal record!  If you haven't read any of the earlier posts in this blog, go back and learn how to save A LOT by shopping with coupons.

Double Coupons

Have you ever heard about people going into the grocery store and paying so little for a cart (or two!) full of groceries?  How do they save so much money? 

We've already learned a lot of couponing tricks together, but one you want to learn about is double coupons.  Unfortunately, since none of the stores in my area double coupons, I have no experience using them.  But it sounds fantastic! 

Check out this blog for some instructions on how double coupons work.  If you have a store in your area that doubles coupons, please comment with the store and location so we can help each other out.  And if you get some great deals with those double coupons, let us know that, too!

Don't forget to stop somewhere for your newspaper if you haven't already.  I got mine on the way to church this morning.

I hope everyone is having a great Sunday! 

Our Budgeting Story

Can I just be honest and tell you that I have forgotten to tell you about one significant thing in my goal to be frugal and to get out of debt? 

The biggest thing I’ve learned on our journey is this:  we need to trust God with our finances.  He has given us the blessings of material wealth (yes, you are wealthy) as well as spiritual riches.  God wants us to be good stewards of what He has provided us with.  If we follow God’s principles and His leading, we will be on our way to the best possible financial position we can be in, and we will be able to serve God in whatever capacity He asks us to concerning our finances, as well as our time, which is so tied up in our money.

A few months ago, husband and I started a new budget.  This budget includes paying each bill that we owe each month, paying an extra $400 toward our debt (this spring we expect to cancel that credit card!), and then we also have an allotted amount of money for spending each month, which covers groceries, gas, and whatever other general expenses we have in the month.  This cycle goes from the middle of the month to the next middle of the month.  The last cycle, we had an extra expense of replacing the starter in our car.  The one before that, we had to buy three brand new tires.  Those two expenses, along with our regular necessities, have put us over our allotted spending for each month and not allowing us to “make up for it” the next month.  We should be having overdrafts on our account.  But each time something has come up with the car, we have heard God say to us, “I’ve got this.  Don’t worry about it.” 

Since starting the new budget, bills are getting paid; debt is being paid.  We are giving to the church as well.  We are not getting any overdraft notices in the mail.  A few times during this process, I have checked our bank balance at the ATM.  It’s never been exceedingly high, but I’ve always been surprised at how much was in there.  All our bills come out automatically, so I don’t have to login to the bank website every month, and so I don’t look.  I see that, somehow, by God’s blessing, our bills are being paid, with no problem, and I just don’t want to look and see what on earth (in heaven?) is going on in my bank account! 

I am trusting that this is going to continue to work as smoothly as it has been, and I am not going to go snooping around trying to figure out how it’s happening.  Maybe it’s nothing more complicated than timing being orchestrated just so, in order that every bill is paid.  I just don’t want to know. 

I’m not saying that your finances should be done in the same way; this is just what God has given to us at this time, and it probably won’t be this way long-term.  What I AM saying is that God is taking care of us in the way that we need it, and He will take care of you as well.

If you want to hear more about how God is blessing us, or if you want to learn about God and His blessings in general, PLEASE comment or message or email me.  I don’t care which.  I’d love to talk with you.

How to Get Things For FREE!

I just signed up to get a free bottle of Advil thanks to both Advil and a blog called Wicked Cool Deals.  My money-saving suggestion to you today is to find a couple of blogs that post about various deals that are available.  Wicked Cool Deals is one of those; another is Thrifty Common Cents.  Find them on Facebook and all of thier posts are available, just like mine are.  Check them out every day or every couple days and you can score some really great deals, including free samples and really good coupons. 

Another tip on how to get things for free, that I know I talk about incessantly, is Swagbucks.  You really should be using them, and you really should click my referral link to sign up!  It takes very little extra time out of your day, and you can earn all kinds of free prizes.  I mostly get Amazon gift cards, and with those, I can get just about anything my little heart desires.  All you do is use THEIR search engine, and as you do, you earn points throughout the day.  Redeem those points for all the good stuff in the Swagstore. 

One more way to find those good deals is to start liking companies on Facebook.  Yes, I admit, it clutters up your newsfeed, but sometimes a store will announce a sale on Facebook before they advertise it anywhere else.  Sometimes manufacturer's offer printable coupons that are only available on Facebook.  So check it out!  If you're not sure where to start, if you're my Facebook friend, go to my profile and check out what I have "liked."  I'm sure you'll find some that you like, too. 

BTW, that Advil deal has a limited availability, so hop over there before it's gone.  And check out the coupon policies; some stores don't take coupons for free items.  HEB doesn't.  :-p  But CVS does!!

Stacy and her eagle eyes!!

"Another register-watching moment: I bought ground chuck at Summer Fresh on Saturday night and the register rang the packages up at 26 lb. when the packages themselves weighed 20 pounds. After talking to management, I was refunded $9.55. I thought the total was off so I checked the weights before I left the store:)"

Remember to watch your items ring up so that you don't get charged incorrectly.  Computers aren't perfect and neither are the people plugging in the information!  Stacy just kept herself from losing $10 because she was paying attention.

Skim all the Ads!!

Here's a quick tip for you:  when you get the paper or get grocery store ads in the mail, skim over all of them, even the ones you don't regularly shop at.  I shop every Saturday at HEB because I feel like they have the best deals and good quality.  I scour that ad every Wednesday when I get it in the paper.  The Wednesday paper also comes with an Albertson's ad, a Lawrence Brothers ad, and a United ad.  I never look at the others.  I throw them out or pass them on  to someone else.  When I got home today, I had the same United ad in my mail box.  This time I decided to scan it over, and I found two! great deals.  First, they have B1G1 pork chops.  We mostly eat chicken, but we get pork or beef when we need a change, so those pork chops will be great.  They are also selling apples for a very nice price.  United is very close to my house, so on my way home from HEB on Saturday, I will be stopping at United for pork and apples. 

There's a lesson for you.  It's not always worth it to go to another store just for an item or two, but watch those ads.  You might find a deal with stopping for, especially if the store is a reasonable distance from your house or on your way from your grocery store or even work or church. 

All You Magazine

I know, there are a LOT of magazines out there to choose from.  But if you're a couponer, I am pretty sure All You is one of the best.  Every month, this magazine is stuffed with recipes, crafts, money-saving tips, and most of all, COUPONS!  All You Magazine offers two free trial issues on their website if you want to give it a shot.  But my suggestion is to do what I did.  I used Swagbucks to earn $20.00 worth of Amazon gift cards and then hopped on to the Amazon website and bought my subscription to All You for nothing out of my pocket.  It's hard to beat a free magazine filled with coupons and great articles!

Go ahead and either click on the All You magazine link to get those two free issues or check out Swagbucks and start earning your Amazon gift cards.  After you get your magazine subscription, you can start earning Swagbucks for one of the other great prizes you can get from Swagbucks. 

How Do I Save Money on Groceries?

So you've been couponing for a few weeks, and I'm guessing that you've probably gotten some really cheap shampoo or toothpaste from the drugstores, but maybe you're having a harder time saving at the grocery store. 

I have the same problem.  It seems to be a lot easier to save on that bathroom stuff than it is on chicken and bread.  My biggest tip to you on getting better deals when it comes to your groceries is to start stockpiling.  When that must-have brand of barbecue sauce goes on sale and you find that coupons.com has a coupon for that same sauce, print at least two coupons (two coupons of one kind is the website's limit per computer) and head to the store with the rest of your list.  Make sure you are aware of any limit your grocery store may have put on the item.  You've probably noticed that when there is a good sale, you are limited to two or four of an item, but chances are you've not purchased up to the limit.  Go ahead and purchase more than you need right away of items that are on sale, especially if it is a rock-bottom price. 

All You Magazine has an article right now that teaches some tips on how to stockpile.  I'll let you go check that out when we're done here.  Here's the link for you.

Stockpiling can be great fun, just be careful to watch those expiration dates.  There's nothing like having to throw away several items just because they are too old.  You may have bought them for a quarter, but still that was your money and your time researching that great deal that you just threw out.  If you don't think you'll use something up before the expiration date, don't buy it.  And by all means, skip that great deal on Cheerios if you've already got five boxes waiting for you at home.  Or better yet, buy it and donate it to a food bank.  Let someone else benefit from that magnificent deal you found. 

Another suggestion I would make.  Be mindful of your shopping budget.  When you start stockpiling, just pick one or two good items a week to buy extra of.  And be patient.  As you make gradual stockpiling a habit, you'll find that you run out of items less often, and you'll watch your grocery bill dip lower.  When you have a good stockpile, many of your staples you no longer have to buy at regular price.  YOU choose the price you pay on the food you feed your family, not the grocery store's sale cycle. 

Making Makeup a Little Cheaper

We already know that we can use coupons to get makeup for cheap, especially at the drugstores.  In honor of my shopping for me today (still loving the lipstain, though it's faded a little), I have found two articles for us to take a look at.  The first one is about using the correct amount of product so that you aren't going through it faster than necessary.  The second one is about using the bits left in your compact, lipstick tube, etc. rather than throwing them out.

Enjoy!!

The Right Amount


Use It Up!

shopping for ME!

Today I went to CVS with $12.50 in ECB and a $5/$25 coupon.  There were a couple things I had been wanting, one of the new lip stains as well as some tinted moisturizer.  There were not very many things in the ad that caught my eye this week, so I figured today would be a good day to treat myself.  The lip stain is Maybelline brand, and I have to tell you that I LOVE it already.  I've never really liked lipstick because it's so intense and because you have to reapply all the time.  But I got a color that turned out to not be too intense.  I think it's called plum.  It stays really well doesn't overpower my face.  Oh, and it's not sticky or uncomfortable.  It starts out sticky, but once you add the balm over the color, it feels great!  So there's my commercial for that.  :-D

The lip stain was $10.99.  I also got a Revlon top coat.  It was on sale for $3.99, regularly $5.50.  It also came with $3.00 ECB for next time.  YAY.  Progresso soup was on sale B1G1 Free, and I had a coupon for $.50 off two, so I went ahead and got two of those, even though we still had around four in the cabinet.  I also got a 99% alcohol free toner.  The one I've been using I think is drying out my face, so I'm trying something new.  It was $4.99.  Lastly I got a Sally Hansen nail pencil for $3.99.  It wasn't on sale, but I really wanted it, and it brought my purchase total to just over $25.00.  Then I gave them my coupon for $5 off, my Progesso coupon for $.50, and the $12.50 in ECB.  Before coupons and sales, my total would have been just about $30.00.  After, it was $8.95 pretax, plus I have $3 in ECB for next time.


I hope you're doing some of your shopping this way as well.  It makes shopping for me less guilt-inducing, and you can get more bang for your buck!

New Gadget!!

I snatched a new gadget that I saw on a friend's blog.  It's a bookshelf, and I LOVE it!!  I've decided I'm going to add books to it as I am reading them.  They may or may not be money/coupon related.  Maybe you'll find something new for your own bookshelf!

Medications

Husband is at the pharmacy picking up one of the prescription medications that he takes every day.  We have insurance, but as most of us know, medication is still expensive.  In honor of more money leaving the bank account this morning, here is an article I found for us with a few tips on how to save money on prescriptions.

Save Money on Medications

One of the biggest tips is to get generic if possible.  One of Husband's medications is generic and it's SO much cheaper than the medication he takes that doesn't come in generic form.

WOO!

YAY for eleven readers at one time, AND a new follower! 

Cars and Printers

Today we shelled out $400 to replace a starter in our 1993 Lincoln.  It's hard to complain about doing repairs on a car you had gifted to you, but it's still painful.  Today made me thankful that we've been saving so much money on our regular shopping so that the expense was a little easier to bear. 

Because of that, I've found an article for us to take a look at, from CBS, published on their website about a year ago.  I know, a year is OLD when it comes to information, but it looks like this common sense information is something we should be putting to use.  This article is not giving instructions on how to do your own repairs but more about how to choose a fair and reasonable mechanic and how to avoid the more costly repair bills.  Thank goodness because I don't plan to go out and change the oil in my car tomorrow afternoon!

How to Save Money on Car Repairs


And then, last night as I was trying to print a few coupons before the October coupon reset (don't forget to check out today's new printable coupons!!), the printer stopped in the middle of the first page and displayed an error message, suddenly telling me that the black cartridge is incompatible with the printer.  Which of course makes no sense because I was just printing with that cartridge a couple of days before.  The printer website gave instructions on how to fix the problem (resetting the printer, cleaning the connectors on the cartridge), but since neither of those work, I'm also going to be buying a new ink cartridge.  It's black ink, and it's an HP, so it's not that expensive, but still it's disappointing that I can't just go refill this one when it empties again.  Speaking of refilling, many Walgreens can refill ink cartridges.  Mine does it for $12 or $13.  Last time I did it, I paid for it in part with Register Rewards, and I got a coupon for a discount on my next refill.  Sounds good to me!


If you're doing CVS Extra Bucks, you should log into your account before you go on your next shopping trip.  I got an email reminder today that Summer ECB are available for printing from the website.  I'm pretty excited to see the sale ad for Sunday because I have $10 ECB from last Sunday, $2.50 ECB waiting for me at the website, and a $5/$25 coupon that I received in the same email with the ECB.  It smells like a good deal just waiting to happen!



Have a great weekend everyone!