So, it seems everyone is talking about couponing these days. Maybe it’s that I’m getting older, that I love a good bargain or the fact that I work at Money Management International, but I’ve jumped on the coupon bandwagon….and I’M SOLD.

The first step to successful couponing is to overcome those mental barriers. You may have a few of your own:

-Mom always told me it was a waste of time. Mother is always right, right? Wrong. The key is organization and finding just a few extra minutes to dedicate to saving. Just because it didn’t work for someone else doesn’t mean it won’t work for you.

-Coupons are only for the really expensive items. Sometimes, but the trick is to find name brand items when they are on sale. Using a coupon on a sale item equals savings.

-I have ZERO extra time. I’m hardly an expert, so I probably don’t spend nearly the time clipping as a real master. I’ve found that the key is just starting and starting small. You’ll find your comfort zone once you start saving.

-I don’t quite get how price matching works. I discovered that you can save money even when you don’t have a coupon. Start by collecting store flyers each week. I have found that the best savings are for beef, chicken, and pork. Take the flyers with you and simply ask your store to match the lowest advertised price. Just last week I saved over $6.00 on the price per pound match on a sirloin steak.

Check out these results!

When you’ve looked yourself in the mirror and made a dedication to saving, here are a few pointers to get started:

1. Research.
There are so many online resources out there for coupon trading, coupon selling, coupon printing, coupon clipping and coupon organizing. A couple of my favorites are CouponMom.com and Couponizer.com.

2. Take it one week at a time.
Push yourself to do a little more each week. The first week, just focus on one store flyer. The second week, plan a menu around sale items. Change can be tough and overwhelming, so start small.

3. Plan and organize.
Set aside some time to clip coupons, make a list and plan your meals each week. Get an expandable file folder or a binder with business card inserts and create categories to file your coupons.

4. Find a store that matches prices and/or doubles or triples coupons.
Price matching is where I’ve saved. Add a coupon on top of the price match and that’s a real savings.

Stay tuned. Good luck and happy saving!

Do you have any tips or tricks? What kind of savings have you seen? Tell us about it!

This summer has brought record breaking temperatures to much of the country. That’s no exception for Texas where, in Houston alone, we have topped 100 degrees more than a few times this summer – a record that hasn’t been broken since 1980. Although we’re quite used to the heat, these higher than average temperatures have brought higher than average energy bills along with them. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and high electricity bills coupled with a down economy has many resorting to clever ways to save money.

That’s exactly what my mother-in-law did when she received an electric bill for more than $500 last month. First anger set in, and then came the ingenuity and resourcefulness her mother had used in the 1940’s when clothes dryers, television and dishwashers weren’t commonplace appliances. My mother-in-law challenged herself to discontinue the use of the clothes dryer and the dishwasher and unplug any unused appliances for the month of August, just to see how much it would reduce her bill.

She strung up a clothesline in the back yard and hand washed dishes every night. She unplugged other appliances immediately after using it. We’ll see if her efforts pay off at the end of the month when she receives the electric bill.

Times are tough, and most can’t afford to upgrade appliances to newer, energy efficient models. My mother-in-law’s efforts aren’t new fangled ideas, by any means. However, her actions speak to a timeless question – is it time to revert back to the ideas of generations past where people were thrifty, where you didn’t spend more than you made and you made do with what you had?

Makes you think twice about putting that load of laundry in the dryer, doesn’t it?

Update as of August 25:
As a follow-up, my MIL’s experiment worked. Her electric bill went from a whopping $550 to a more reasonable $350. What actions have you taken to reduce your bills? Did it work?

Is making your own baby food really cheaper than buying off-the-shelf baby food? I’ve had a number of friends say that, yes indeed; making your own baby food has a number of benefits—one of them being a cost savings. So, I decided to give it a try and finally answer the question that had been festering in the back of my mind since my child started eating solids. (Oh, the things new mothers worry about!)

There are tons of online resources covering this topic including how-to videos on YouTube and recipes. Since Blogging for Change is about how to spend wisely, I’ll spare you the details on the actual preparation of the food. Although, one important detail is that after pureeing the foods, I put the puree into ice cube trays and froze it to make individual servings.

One Sunday afternoon, I spent an hour, from start to finish, preparing peas, summer squash, chicken, sweet potatoes and green beans.

My calculations are based on the following scenario:

-I was buying a total of 4-6 packages of stage 2 fruits and 4-5 stage 2 vegetables. Each two pack costs around $.93. Thus, the daily cost per serving is roughly $.46. (Of course this will vary based on where you live.)
-Two “cubes” equals one container of stage 2 off-the-shelf food. (So, 1 serving = 2 cubes)
-My kiddo eats 1-2 fruits and 2 vegetables each day. (3 total)

Squash (fresh): $1.61
Total: 8 cubes
$.20/cube = $.40 per serving

Sweet potatoes (fresh): $3.67 (3.25 lbs)
Total: 24 cubes
$.15/cube = $.30 per serving

Chicken (frozen): 5-6 breast tenders/bag is $9.88 - $.50/each - $3.00 (6 pieces)
Total – 8 cubes
$.37/cube = $.74 per serving

Green beans (frozen): $2.23
Total – 16 cubes
$.13/cube = $.27 per serving

Average cost per serving: $.43

When it comes down to it, you have to ask yourself if a $50 savings is really worth the time. From a working mother, a lot of times convenience offers a premium that I don’t mind paying. Plus, looking at an annual savings is a bit skewed because your child’s eating habits will change quite a bit in a year’s time. Ultimately, I will continue making my baby food, but will also supplement with off-the-shelf baby food.

A few things I wish I had known:

-A good blending device (blender or food processor) is a good thing. My food processor doesn’t puree all that great.

-Hidden costs that I’m not accounting for include a food processor and/or blender, knives, vegetable skinner, ice cube trays, etc. You may want to take that into consideration before jumping in.

-Peas go everywhere. Somehow, I was finding smashed peas around my kitchen for weeks.

-The kiddo doesn’t like her green beans with chunks – forcing me to re-puree before each meal using the blender equaling more prep time.

-In the last couple weeks, I’ve started blending the things we’re having for dinner, which is a savings.

Do you have the time? What tricks or other resources do you use when making food for your baby?