Money, Love, and Change

photo credit: ninjapoodles

Here is the Sunday newspaper coupon insert schedule for 2010.  Enjoy!

January
01/03/2010 – 2 SmartSource, 2 RedPlum & General Mills
01/10/2010 – SmartSource & RedPlum
01/17/2010 – SmartSource & RedPlum & Procter & Gamble
01/24/2010 – SmartSource & RedPlum
01/31/2010 – SmartSource & RedPlum

February
02/07/2010 – SmartSource
02/14/2010 – No Inserts This Week
02/21/2010 – SmartSource, General Mills & Procter & Gamble
02/28/2010 – SmartSource & RedPlum

March
03/07/2010 – SmartSource & RedPlum & Procter & Gamble
03/14/2010 – SmartSource & RedPlum
03/21/2010 – SmartSource & RedPlum
03/28/2010 – 2 SmartSource, RedPlum & Procter & Gamble

April
04/04/2010 – No Inserts This Week
04/11/2010 – SmartSource & RedPlum
04/18/2010 – SmartSource & RedPlum
04/25/2010 – SmartSource & RedPlum

May
05/02/2010 – SmartSource, RedPlum & Procter & Gamble
05/09/2010 – SmartSource & RedPlum
05/16/2010 – 2 SmartSource & RedPlum
05/23/2010 – SmartSource & RedPlum
05/30/2010 – No Inserts This Week

June
06/06/2010 – SmartSource, RedPlum & Procter & Gamble
06/13/2010 – SmartSource
06/20/2010 – SmartSource & RedPlum
06/27/2010 – SmartSource & RedPlum

July
07/04/2010 – No Inserts This Week
07/11/2010 – SmartSource & RedPlum
07/18/2010 – SmartSource
07/25/2010 – SmartSource & RedPlum

August
08/01/2010 – SmartSource, RedPlum & Procter & Gamble
08/08/2010 – SmartSource & RedPlum
08/15/2010 – SmartSource & RedPlum
08/22/2010 – SmartSource & RedPlum
08/29/2010 – SmartSource, RedPlum & Procter & Gamble

September
09/05/2010 – No Inserts This Week
09/12/2010 – SmartSource & 2 RedPlum
09/19/2010 – SmartSource & RedPlum
09/26/2010 – SmartSource & RedPlum

October
10/03/2010 – SmartSource, RedPlum & Procter & Gamble
10/10/2010 – SmartSource & RedPlum
10/17/2010 – SmartSource & RedPlum
10/24/2010 – SmartSource & RedPlum
10/31/2010 – SmartSource & RedPlum

November
11/07/2010 – SmartSource, RedPlum & Procter & Gamble
11/14/2010 – SmartSource & RedPlum
11/21/2010 – SmartSource & RedPlum
11/28/2010 – No Inserts This Week

December
12/05/2010 – SmartSource, RedPlum & Procter & Gamble
12/12/2010 – SmartSource & RedPlum
12/19/2010 – No Inserts This Week
12/26/2010 – No Inserts This Week

photo credit: ninjapoodles

I don’t bother to buy a Sunday paper unless I know that there are grocery coupons in it.  In addition, I can get away with buying a local paper if there are only SmartSource inserts, but need to buy the larger city paper if Red Plum inserts are printed.  So, I am always interested in knowing the coupon insert schedule.

The original link that I found was here on GottaDeal.com.  I also included a cut and paste of the information below:

2009 Coupon Inserts Schedule

January
4 – 2 Smart Source & 2 Red Plum
11 — Smart Source & Red Plum
18 –Smart Source & Red Plum
25 –Smart Source & Red Plum

February
1 — Smart Source & Red Plum & Procter and Gamble
8 — Smart Source & Red Plum
15 –No Inserts scheduled
22 — Smart Source & Red Plum

March
1 — Smart Source & Red Plum & Procter and Gamble
8 — Smart Source & Red Plum
15 — Smart Source & Red Plum
22 — Smart Source only
29 — Smart Source & Red Plum

April
5 — 2 Smart Source & 1 Red Plum & Procter and Gamble
12 — No Inserts
19 — Smart Source & Red Plum
26 — Smart Source & Red Plum

May
3 — Smart Source & Red Plum
10 –Smart Source & Red Plum
17 — 2 Smart Source and 1 Red Plum
24 — No Inserts scheduled
31 — Smart Source & Red Plum

June
7 — Smart Source & Red Plum & Procter and Gamble
14 — Smart Source Only
21 — Smart Source & Red Plum
28 — Smart Source & Red Plum

July
5 — Procter and Gamble only
12 — Smart Source & Red Plum
19 — Smart Source Only
26 — Smart Source & Red Plum

August
2 — Smart Source & Red Plum & Procter and Gamble
9 — Smart Source & Red Plum
16 — Smart Source & Red Plum
23 — Smart Source & Red Plum
30 — Smart Source & Red Plum

September
6 — No SS or RP Inserts – Labor Day One Procter and Gamble
13 — 1 Smart Source & 2 Red Plum
20 — Smart Source & Red Plum
27 — Smart Source & Red Plum

October
4 — Smart Source & Red Plum & Procter and Gamble
11 — Smart Source & Red Plum
18 — Smart Source & Red Plum
25 — Smart Source & Red Plum

November
1 — Smart Source & Red Plum & Procter and Gamble
8 — Smart Source & Red Plum
15 — Smart Source & Red Plum
22 — Smart Source Only
29 — No Inserts scheduled

December
6 — Smart Source & Red Plum & Procter and Gamble
13 — Smart Source & Red Plum
20 — No Inserts scheduled
27 — No Inserts scheduled

Happy coupon clipping!

photo credit: inoc

Wow – it’s environmentally friendly, and it’s free!  Treat yourself to a one year digital magazine subscription from The Read Green Initiative. All you need to do is pick your magazine and enter your e-mail address.

Then, sign up for an account with Zinio, which provides sales and distribution of digital content.  When I signed up for my Zinio account, all I had to do was provide an e-mail address and create a password (no physical address or credit card information was required).

Being a personal finance geek, I picked Kiplinger’s for my free magazine, but there is definitely something for almost anyone (US News and World Report was one of the choices, for example).

I also installed the reader so that I can download the digital issues to read at my convenience (sans internet connection).  If you’re really into supporting the green initiative, you can also purchase subscriptions from Zinio.

If you decide to try this out, please drop a line and let me know what you think!

photo credit: naviniea

Christmas is going to be so much fun this year. Our little one is almost 3 years old, and he’s going nuts with all the Christmas lights around town. He’s been asking about a “Kees-mas tee” all week long, and today is the big day!

Since all of our Christmas shopping is done, it’s going to be a very relaxing holiday season. Here are some of the things we plan on doing as a family this year. Some do cost money, but we feel they are well worth it!

1. Cut your own Christmas tree – Yes, we are buying a real tree again this year. However, we planned ahead and included this cost in our holiday budget. There is a wonderful tree farm near our house – we take the dog and make it into a big event. There is a petting zoo, and you can print coupons for free hot chocolate online. As an added benefit, we always get some of our best holiday pictures on this day!

After the holidays, we cut off a small piece of the trunk and woodburn the year on it. After placing a small hook in it, we have a great holiday ornament!

2. Go see the lights! – Consider both going by foot and by car. I would also recommend seeing if there are any local light displays. For example, we travel to Baltimore each year to see Hampden’s Miracle on 34th Street, where every house is decorated. While many homes here could be considered just “over-the-top” with lights, there is also local art on display, including our favorite Hubcap Tree by Jim Pollock. Luckily, we have friends on 33rd Street, so we get parking earlier in the day and have made a tradition of visiting our friends and taking cider on our walk.

3. Bake some of your holiday gifts – It does cost money for ingredients, but I pick one or two recipes and scale them up to keep things simple. The kid always gets a special job, and after all the cooking is done, we have presents in a pinch. Besides, it’s nice to turn on some Christmas music and smell cookies in the oven!

4. Make holiday crafts together – It doesn’t have to be complicated! This year, for example, we are making construction paper rings for our tree garland. The fun is in the creative process itself – the end product is just an added benefit!

What are some of the fun and frugal things you like to do over the holidays?

In addition to getting an e-mail today letting me know that my credit limit increased on one of my credit cards (I thought things like this weren’t supposed to happen anymore?), we got a check from our mortgage company today for $180.  Our escrow account  was a little too high (hence the check).  In addition, our payment amount is going to decrease by roughly $25 per month.

We already overpay slightly on our mortgage (we just round it up to the nearest $50, so we pay an extra $48 per month), and we intend to keep making the same payment, but it is still a pleasant surprise.

I’m very happy, because it is an additional $180 we can use to rebuild our emergency fund!  Dave Ramsey would be proud

My husband has been a casual woodburner crafter ever since we met.  He’s not a master artisan, but he has made some really great plaques and gifts for friends and family over the years.

I’ve mentioned in a previous post how craft stores can be great resources for gifts.  I was in our local craft store today with my 50% coupon and was looking for something for the in-laws for Christmas.  I found a cute picture frame that lends itself to woodburning (there is a picture of it here), and it came to $3 with my coupon.

I’ll try to post a picture of the frame when it is done.  Right now, we are just planning on keeping it simple and adding some “I love my grandpa and grandma” text or something of this sort.  However, we have carbon paper for tracing, and are open to suggestions!

Just to keep track of the Christmas budget, we are now officially left with a $227 balance!

Everything seems to be in the crapper.  With election politics heating up (and not necessarily in a good way), an economic bailout that I am pretty sure no one has a real clue about, and the American dream becoming less achievable for many, things seem to be “not so great”.

Or is it?  I think that perhaps we’re really at a turning point — a sort of reality check where those that have not been realistic about what they cannot afford need to come to terms with the consequences.  While this is happening at a personal level, I am not really sure that it is happening on Wall Street and in the government.

I know that for us, things are a lot more tight financially because we are trying to rebuild our emergency fund quickly after some major truck repairs.  But we’re really coming together as a family, mostly because I am working evenings to generate additional income to rebuild our fund.  This is an added responsibility for my husband, since he has to come home from work and take over childcare duties.

Although initially it took some getting used to, I think that this is also a great opportunity for us to really evaluate what is important in life.  I think it has helped us develop a better appreciation for what the other person is doing, since now we are both working, and both taking care of the kid alone.

We’re also very thankful that we are frugal, and can currently handle our financial situation.  I don’t need to run out and make the big $$$, but can stay at home with the kid during the day.  At the same time, it has strengthened our resolve to get out of debt, and I am working harder to generate additional income streams.

How about you?  Are you keeping your head up in today’s economy?  Why or why not?

With the holidays approaching, I’ve been on the prowl for some good deals.  Although I try to make most of my purchases with gift cards, I do like using ShopDiscover (when you make the purchase with your Discover Card, you get cash back), UPromise, and Ebates.  The basic idea with all of these sites is that you shop online through their affiliate link and earn money back.  It’s great when you’re making a large purchase, and even small purchases add up over time.

Anyhow, I just received an e-mail from Ebates – if you use this link you can get $10 when you sign up (without the affiliate link, you get $5).  I also get $10, so be sure that if you do sign up that you get your own affiliate link to share (you can also send e-mails to friends and family if you don’t have a blog).  If you sign up 2 people, you get $30 instead of $20 – this could really help out when doing holiday shopping!

One thing to keep in mind that you won’t be able to cash in your $10 until you earn at least $5 cash back from purchases.  It’s not too hard to earn the $5; for example, I earned $1.43 when I spent $13 at Dale and Thomas for a gift, and $1.14 from a $38 purchase at Lands’ End.

Between the 3 programs, I can sometimes get more money back using ShopDiscover, and I have found that Ebates usually reaps the same benefits as UPromise.  ShopDiscover doesn’t have as many stores, though.  Also, if you don’t use a Discover Card, you won’t get cash back.

The $10 deal lasts until October 31st.  Enjoy!

We all know about some of the ways to save on our energy costs – having good windows, sealing up leaks, insulation, etc.  But once that is all said and done, how can we save money on our actual bill?

Until now, we haven’t worried too much about our natural gas bill.  We do what we can to save on heating costs, and have enrolled in our provider’s budget plan to make life easier.  The budget plan is really nice – you pay a fixed amount 11/12 months out of the year, and then pay the remaining balance on the 12th month.  We’ve been pretty happy – our monthly bill is about $95, and our remaining balance last month was less than $50.

We got our updated budget plan today, and were a little surprised.  We expected an increase, but were taken aback by a new amount of $150.  This increase is due to the expected rise in energy costs this winter.  Wow!

After looking at our provider’s website, I found that we have the option to choose our natural gas supplier, and that some of them offer fixed rate plans.  One supplier had a fixed rate plan for this year that was already 0.13 cheaper/ccf than our current rate, and it would be locked for one year.

I know that this isn’t going to add up to a lot of money if the rates stay where they are, but it is reasonable to expect that rates are going to steadily rise as winter approaches. I’m thinking that it might be a good idea to lock in a rate now.

Do you have a fixed rate plan for natural gas?  If so, I would love to hear about your experience!

If you’re looking for a free tool to help you at your first attempt at making a budget, I would recommend taking some time to check out The Money Case.  After taking a couple of minutes to put your initial information in, you are given a breakdown of your budget by percentages.  After taking the time to input your actual expenditures, you are able to compare them to your budget.  Good stuff!

This software is very visual, with graphs that make it easy to see where your money is going.  I currently use Microsoft Money, and most of the time the graphs aren’t accurate – this software does a better job.

If I could change anything about this program, I would like the ability to enter monthly income (as opposed to yearly).  Although my husband’s salary remains constant throughout the year, mine changes monthly.  Therefore, the accuracy of the percentages is off for our budget.

I would highly recommend this program for anyone just starting out with a budget, as well as anyone considering going from a double income family to a single income family.  Being able to look at percentages can really help one to see where extraneous expenses can be cut, and whether or not it is realistic to be able to afford to live on one income.