Coupons are now the craze in today's frugal world. And with all the information available you can get lots of things for free.This leads to consumers "stockpiling" items in their homes. This can be a good thing to have some extra on hand, But shows like "extreme couponing" take things to a whole different level.
Will I really use 300 tubes of toothpaste this year? Or even 5 years? People need to limit themselves on when there actually getting a "good deal" or just wasting money. Buying 20 newspapers a week and spending 3 cents per toothpaste for 200 of them is not a good deal. If you buy 20 newspapers to get a few free items your still spending that initial $30 dollars for those items. Same with toothpaste, even if your only spending 3¢ per tube, if your only going to use x amount before it expires your wasting that money. Follow these tips to keep your stockpiling under control.

1.Follow a 6-12 month rule:
Try to only keep enough on hand for a 6-12 month period. If its a great deal, sure stock up on an item, but your house doesn't need to be overridden with items you might have to throw away before they expire.

2. Get it if it's free, but give it away.
I simply cannot pass up free. If I see a deal that I can get for free, you bet I am going to grab it. I may not need the item, or even use that item, but someone else may. I have a small box that I toss free items in that I know I may never use. This box is then donated to my local shelter or family members who also might be strapped for cash. I can give back to my community but not spending a dime, and without cluttering my house with items i wont need.

3. Don't get more than you can handle.
This is concerning newspapers. I find it a waste to buy 20 + papers a week. 1. If you don't recycle all that extra newspaper and coupon paper is going going right to a landfill. And again do you really need 200 body washes that would be free this week? I get 3 copies of the paper. I buy one, and am giving one by each my grandparents and my 1 uncle. This is more than enough for me. If I can get something free that week, I can get 3, which builds my small stockpile.

4. Don't buy it just cause it is a good deal.
Sure that bottle of pickle smelling lotion only cost 3¢, but am I ever going to want to use pickle lotion? I know my name isn't snookie, and quite frankly smelling like a pickle all day isn't my idea of fun, so why did I buy it? We tend to buy things, even if we dont use it, because it was such a great deal. But it really isn't if it is just collecting dust. So when you see that deal, think realistically. "Am I ever going to use this item?" or "Do I plan to give this item to someone else?" If you answered no, save yourself that 3¢. And save yourself the space at home.




Got any opinions or comments to share on stockpiling or couponing? Would love to hear from you below.

[img]http://prodegebanners.sitegrip.com/images/swagbucks-173...

I just had to share with you guys. I use swagbucks
http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/wickedlove0617
and I have earned quite a few amazon gift cards and cash. I saved them up just for today's online sales and in store sales. I managed to do all of my black Friday shopping for free.

No money spent except the money I earned from swagbucks. Now that I am done with black friday, time to earn and save them up again for Christmas shopping.

Got any great tips, advice, or share your own christmas/black friday plans? Love to hear them below.

I'm not posting a picture like I usually do.. Because.. well quite frankly.. Im feeling lazy.

Anyway, today we are talking about goals. I have set 3 goals aside for this week. 1 spend more time with my daughter. 2. Leave my debit card at home, and 3. Keep up with all my money making sites.

Now lets explain
1. I spend lots of time with my daughter, but its normally trips to the store to snag a deal, or making a craft together that serves a purpose. I sometimes forget to enjoy the little things in life, like just watching a spongebob movie with her. (Which is what I did today) So my goal is to relax, and just spend some non-saving money time with her.

2. I work at a grocery store. I don't pack any food because I never work 8 hours. But once your staring at all the food in a store, you get hungry real fast. I always wind up buying a donut, yogurt, or something cheap to snack on. Now I know a donut doesn't cost much, but those pennies add up. So from now on the goal is to bring a snack to work and to leave the debit card at home. This way, even if i do get tempted, i cant buy anything anyway.

3. I have been neglecting the sites I have been using to make money on. I go on a few regularly, but I haven't been getting on all of them. Remember those raindrops into rivers from my earlier post? I'm losing that extra income which defiantly comes in handy later.

Keep this in mind when setting your own goals.

1. Don't take too much on at once.
Set up 3 easy goals and maybe 1 hard goal for you to achieve. Don't overwhelm yourself or you will just wind up frustrated and wont be able to do any of them

2. Do get ready to fail. (its okay)
We are not perfect. That is why we are human. So if I take my debit card to work and buy a donut, or if I dont get to go on my sites that day, you know what, its okay. The purpose of a goal is to TRY. Don't beat yourself up over it and try again tomorrow. You are human after all.

3. Be realistic
Setting up a goal to lose 100lbs in 2 months, isn't exactly realistic. But if you want to lose weight try losing 5lbs a month. You will still feel great that your on the right track, and that you can actually achieve your goal.

Have any goals, or tips on staying on track? Love to hear them below.

Are you constantly cooking? Are you also throwing out leftovers? If you answered yes to either, STOP! Save yourself time, money and your sanity. By saving your leftovers, you can eat them the next day and save yourself a lot of hassle.

I always cook a little more than I know we can eat. This way I have lunch for tomorrow if I am in a hurry, or even tomorrow's dinner. If you don't want to eat the same exact meal twice in a row, check out Allrecipes.com. You can plug in all the ingredients you have on hand to make a new, fun, and exciting meal.

Your saving money by reusing the meals and ingredients you already have on hand. Plus,your saving yourself time. And we all know we don't have enough of that nowadays in our busy schedule.


Questions, comments? Lets hear them below!

Turn the thermostat down

This is the most common answer we get when we ask how to save money on our heating bill. If your like me though, I like my house to be comfortably warm all the time. I am not a person who is a fan of cold weather. So how can we turn the thermostat down AND not be uncomfortably cold all the time?

1.Turn the thermostat down
Turn the thermostat down to a level you are comfortable with. I would even suggest turning it down another degree or two below your comfort level. Now this may seem silly, since I said how to be COMFORTABLY warm, but if you try any of the other steps you will be.

2.Wear socks
When your feet are cold, it makes the rest of your body cold. If your uncomfortable with wearing socks all the time, at least try to wear them when you are walking around your house. Walking on cold tile kitchens can make you feel cold in just a couple seconds.

3.Cook more often
If you have a habit of just throwing food in the microwave, or just making a sandwich try cooking more often. By moving around you warm yourself up, and all the heat generated by your stove/oven helps to warm your home.

4.Leave the door open when you shower
Try to leave your bathroom door open when your taking a shower, and avoid using the vent if you have one. Your warming up your house just by letting the steam from your shower escape to other rooms.

5.Light a candle
If your reading a book, watching a moving, or browsing online, light up a candle or two in the room. Candles give off heat, which can raise the temperature in your room by a few degrees. Another plus, is the room your in will smell pleasant from your candles.

6.Open the blinds
When the sun is out, let it in. Use the natural heat that is already trying to find its way into your home. When the sun rises, open all the blinds in your house and let the sun do the work for you.

7.Drink hot Beverages
Make a habit of drinking hot tea, or other hot beverage throughout the day. You will feel noticeably more warm just for having that hot beverage with you.