By Bobbi Burger Brunoehler of BobbisBargains.
We all make good and bad financial decisions. Overall, I am pretty happy with mine. They have allowed me to live the kind of life that is important to me. I get to be an at-home mom and have been there to raise my kids. The trade off? Used cars and no fancy address.
Looking back at my choices, my worst financial decisions have been:
- Not buying a house 30 years ago. I knew that I would be moving a lot, so I didn’t want to buy a house. But in fact, I always stayed longer in each place than I meant to and with the rising housing market all those years, I would have made a lot of money on each turn over and I’d own my house now.
- Not putting money into
I’m super excited to introduce My Coupon Database to BargainBabe.com. Basically, it’s a place where you can find all your grocery and drugstore coupons! No need to visit Coupons.com, then SmartSource.com, then…My Coupon Database pulls from dozens of coupon sources and is the most complete database of coupons that I know of.
Here’s how to use this FREE coupon database:
1. Scroll your mouse over the Coupons tab above. The first option on the drop down menu is Coupon Database – click on it.
2. That will take you to the page below. Browse the grocery and drugstore coupons.
3. If a coupon is underlined, click on it to print. If not, My Coupon Database will tell you which insert to pull from your stash to find your desired coupon.
Voila! It’s that easy.
Tip: Narrow down your search by typing in the Description box, or by choosing a specific Coupon Source. Insert = coupons that come in the Sunday paper. Cellfire ecoupons = mobile coupons you can print out. Magazine Coupons = various coupons that you can find in mags like Glamour, All You, and many more. You can also narrow down a coupon search by the date the coupon was released, the value of the coupon, or how long ago a coupon expired.
Bonus: The Getting Started, Organization, and Store Coupons buttons take you to posts on BargainBabe.com that explain these topics!
I pay a monthly fee to have My Coupon Database on BargainBabe.com and receive a small fee when you print a coupon. Thank you for helping me make blogging my full time job!
UPDATE: Reader Renee says My Coupon Database has been a huge help. She writes:
Thank you for organizing and sharing the coupon database. You have saved my family so much money ! Your site is a blessing to us.
Renee’
Free Pineapple Pop from Edible Arrangements!
There are 20 coupons and freebies today. If you shop online, get a cash back rebate on every purchase through Ebates or Shortcuts. It’s free to join!
Free Lancome sample - Get a free sample of Lancome skin care via Facebook. While supplies last or until Aug. 21, 2011.
Free Emergen-C - Get a free sample of Emergen-C. This freebie comes up every month or so and you may be able to request it again. While supplies last.
Free pineapple pop - Take a pledge to eat more fruit on the Edible Arrangements Facebook page and get a free pineapple pop. Aug. 7-14, 2011 only.
Get online coupons for these stores below.
Target – This week’s list of Target coupon deals will be posted later today. Go to Target’s online coupons.
Staples – Hip 2 Save lists the hot Staples coupons including lots of back to school deals! Highlights include Staples Composition Books for $0.10, Staples Standard-Size Striped Paper Clips 100 pack for $0.25, and Avery 5-Tab Insertable Dividers for $0.50. Plus, more deals for $1, $2, $4, and $5! (more…)
This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.
From the 60 comments left on my book review of Clark Howard’s “Living Large in Lean Times,” it seems many of you know a lot about living large on budget. That’s great! The person I picked as the winner is enthusiastic and eager to learn more.
Without further ado, the winner of the book is
Daniel Ernst/Fotolia.com
To follow yesterday’s post on back to school deals, 16 states have planned tax free holidays for clothes, school supplies, and computers. BargainJack has a neat chart with the info, which I summarize below, and Time’s Moneyland blog has additional analysis. Here’s what you need to know:
Participating states: AL, AR, CT, FL, IA, LA, MA, MD, MI, NM, NC, OK, SC, TN, TX, VA.
Tax-free dates: Most states’ tax-free shopping days are THIS WEEKEND Aug 5-7, though some are later in the month.
Limits: There are per-item cost limits, like $100 on clothing. So if you buy a fancy leather jacket that costs more than $100, it will be taxed. If you buy lots of little clothing items that add up to more than $100, no tax. Some of the limits are as low as $20 per item on school supplies, but Tennessee has a generous $1,500 limit on computers.
Bonus: There are discounts in some states for hurricane preparedness items and sports equipment.
I have to say that in light of the debt limit fiasco and ensuing stock market fall yesterday, should our government be covering taxes on items like this? Are we as a nation getting too accustomed to perks like this?
Apple offers free kids summer camp
Credit: pixinity/Fotolia.com
There are 24 coupons and freebies today. If you shop online, get a cash back rebate on every purchase through Ebates or Shortcuts. It’s free to join!
Free Apple camp - Kids 8-12 can sign up for a free Apple camp workshop where they learn about making movies and music. It is a three-day commitment, 1.5 hours each day. Space fills up super quick.
Free museums - This weekend is the first full weekend of the month, which means Bank of America card holders get into hundreds of museums free.
Free dog food - Get a free sample of Purina Beneful dog food through Walmart while supplies last.
Hanging baskets are beautiful adornments to any garden or doorway. Depending on the effect you are looking for you can use trailing, tall or ‘ball effect plants’ to make your own.
Flowers that trail down from the basket give the effect that they’re just growing in the air as they swamp the basket and hide it. These include fuchsia, pelargoniums (ivy-leaved), trailing lobelia, campanula ‘bellflower’ and verbena. Tall flowers that grow upright can add height to a garden by drawing the eye upwards and include geraniums, pelargoniums (dwarf zone), petunias, begonia and upright varieties of verbena. ‘Ball effect’ flowers grow in a bushy style and include impatiens ‘busy lizzies’, bushy varieties of lobelia and clematis.
Not all hanging baskets need simply be a mass-produced pot you affix to your wall, however. With a bit of imagination and a lick of paint you can transform objects you find in second hand stores into stunning centerpieces for your garden. How about removing the seat from old chairs and letting blooms drape down it?
First browse local flea markets for chairs with wicker seats or those whose seat is easily removed. Paint the chair and remove the seat or cut a hole in it.
Next take some chicken wire and make a wire frame in the shape of a bowl to fit the seat. Attach this to the chair – use a nail gun to tack the wire to the wood, or get out your trusty Bosch drill to screw the wire against the wood.
Next line the frame with coconut fiber and fill this with a potting mix. Now you are ready to plant a very unique hanging basket. You can use this simple DIY hanging basket effect on any items you wish – so get creative and enjoy your garden.
This is paid content. Interested in a sponsored post? See Bargain Babe’s blog advertising page.
Stop spending money on slow internet, Score back to school deals, and Can you afford to have a baby?
A pram stroller made out of money! Dominik Meissner / Flickr
We share five must read blog posts about saving money every Friday.
Stocks rebound - After a steep drop Thursday, stocks saw modest gains Friday morning. (USA Today)
Free and cheap weekend - A long list of free and super cheap stuff to do this weekend can be found on Hip 2 Save.
The real cost of having a baby - The cost of raising a child is high so our Silicon Valley blogger friend shares saving tips for new parents. (The Digerati Life)
Facebook school deals – This year, Facebook is your friend when it comes to scoring back to school deals. (CNN Money)
Is your internet provider holding you back? A Federal Communications Commission report reveals which ISPs live up to their advertising claims so you can stop spending money on slow internet. (Main Street)
iriskh / Flickr
This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.
In a recent post I showed you how to make a statement necklace from an old T-shirt. If you enjoyed that DIY project, you’ll enjoy making your own ruffled T-shirt.
I’m a fan of ruffled T-shirts because they’re comfortable, yet flirty by adding femininity and flare. You can pair them with jeans for a casual look or wear them with trousers and a cardigan for a polished look.
The ruffles can run horizontally or vertically on the shirt depending on what you like. You can also buy flower appliques from a craft store and sew them on the side. Here’s what you’ll need: two T-shirts, scissors, thread and needle, ruler, and pins.
How to make a T-shirt with horizontal ruffles.
Free credit score?
Reader Ruth needs help finding a free place to get her credit score. She writes:
i have found places where you can get your credit report for free. do you know of anywhere to, safely, get your credit score? seems like the ones i have checked charge for it.
Ruth, you allude to getting your free credit report through the legit site AnnualCreditReport.com, which is a great place to start. The contents of this free annual report is what makes up your score, so making sure it is accurate is essential to improving your score. But I can understand your desire to know your credit score number.
CreditKarma, which I wrote about in August 2009, provides a score free, but it is not the FICO credit score which you are seeking. The only other offers I’ve seen are “free” when you buy something else. Anybody got an answer?
Comment on the post in this link for a chance to win Yazmin’s review copy of “Living Large in Lean Times,” by radio show host Clark Howard. Just share how you are living large during lean times by Friday, Aug. 5, 2011 at 5 p.m. PST.
So far there are only 30 entries so the odds are good! Winner announced Monday.
Save 30-35% off with Gap coupon below!
There are 20 coupons and freebies today. Yesterday’s incredible group of free stuff yielded today to just two free offers. If you shop online, get a cash back rebate on every purchase through Ebates or Shortcuts. It’s free to join!
Free bowling - Get 10 free bowling games, 1 per person up to 10 people. You pay for shoe rental. Ends Aug. 15, 2011.
Free Head & Shoulders - Get a free sample of Head & Shoulders through Facebook. While supplies last.
HOT! H&M coupon - Get 20% off kids items with this H&M coupon. In stores only. Expires Aug. 14, 2011.
This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.
Summer and winter can wreak havoc on your pout. That’s were lip balms come in handy. To help you avoid spending money on products that don’t work, I tested ten lip balms and reviewed them below.
I wore each lip balm for three days and rated them on their smell, taste, feel and, most importantly, how well they wear. I live in Los Angeles so SPF is very important. If a balm has a hint of color or yummy taste, that’s a plus for me. I listed the results starting with my favorites on down. (more…)
Staple removers are 50 cents at Office Depot Aug.7-13
This week’s back to school supply deals run Sunday through Saturday, so you have one full week to take advantage of these great deals. August is a fantastic month to restock your home office.
Office Depot deals Aug. 7-13 , 2011
- 1 cent glue
- 50 cent 1-inch poly binder
- 50 cent Foray single pens
- 50 cent Papermate pink erasers (3 pack)
- 50 cent Office Depot brand Staple Remover
- $1 Sharpie Permanent Markers (5 pack)
- $1 ream of paper (after mail in rebate) (more…)
