Mama Money Bags

You know that saying, "There's no such thing as a free lunch?" It's wrong! Read  Mama Money Bags  to find out why. On Tuesday, July 10, you can eat breakfast, lunch, or dinner for free (well, the entree at least!). All you need to do is wear something cow-themed. Since my family has been going to Cow Appreciation Day for at least a decade, we have an entire bag of goodies set aside for the big day. Here's my kids from a couple years ago. The visors are handmade--I drew on cow faces after turning over free visors we got who knows where. The necklaces are just stuffed cows held together by rubber bands, and another is pinned to my son's hat. And my youngest is wearing a swimming cover-up with black spots taped to it. I've seen some amazing cow costumes over the years, but since I don't want to buy things we rarely use, we make do with creating our own. I even have a shirt with a cow on the back that I wear on Cow Appreciation Day year...

Do you watch how much you spend at the food store? I know I do! Meat is especially pricey, but Mama Money Bags can help you learn how to cut back. Probably the easiest way to save on meat is to buy in bulk and then divide the meat into separate meals at home. Why buy in bulk? It's cheaper per pound! I buy a large pack of boneless skinless chicken breast at Wegmans, which I then prep immediately into different dinners (for example, marinated meat, sliced chicken for fajitas, and smaller chunks of chicken for pasta). Then, I stick what I can't use right away into the freezer so it's ready for when I cook. Doing this helps cut back on take-out, too! Sometimes, though, I am super lucky at one of my local stores (usually Wegmans, Target, or Acme) and I stumble upon what my husband calls "scratch and dent" meat--aka, meat that's close to its sell-by date. It usually has a sticker or coupon attached to the packaging. Here's one from Target (similar ones...

I did some Cheap Mom shopping yesterday. You see, I had the $10 CVS coupon that I got from taking a survey (previously mentioned in this post about "making up" money ). Since it expires in about a week, and because I noticed our shampoo stockpile was getting very low, I stopped at CVS on my way home from work. I bought three bottles of Pantene and a bag of Tide Pods--I'll be sure not to eat them. All that right there retails for almost $20 at CVS and I spent $1.06! How? Here's a quick rundown so you too can learn how to fill your Mama Money Bags: - Pantene was on sale for $4 each with $3 ExtraBucks when I bought three. I looked in the ad and on the signs in front of the product. - There was also a $1 Pantene coupon that I loaded onto my CVS card via their app. - Making it $11 minus my $10 ExtraBucks, for a total of $1.06. - The three bottles resulted in $3 ExtraBucks being printed out. - There was a $2 Tide coupon that I also loaded onto my CVS card via t...

Tomorrow, Friday June 1, is National Donut Day. I don't really know why donuts need a day of their very own, but guess what it means? Freebies! To quote Homer Simpson, my husband's favorite cartoon character, "Woohoo!" In my neck of the woods, that means freebies from a variety of places. First, I'm headed to Edible Arrangements for a free edible donut--which isn't really a donut at all, but they must have wanted in on the game. It's a slice of an apple dipped in chocolate. A store opened up right around the corner from my home, so it will be my first visit there! Next up is Duck Donuts for a free plain (boring) donut--I think they'll sprinkle cinnamon sugar or powdered sugar on it if you ask. (Still boring.) But you can't complain when filling your Mama Money Bags! If I'm not sick of donuts at that point, I may treat myself to a coffee and get yet another donut for free at Dunkin Donuts . I'm expecting Wawa to also offer some sp...

Rainy weekend. I spent a good chunk of it counting box tops. You know, those tiny little rectangles that come on products you buy--cereal, soup, baggies, even mac and cheese. They look like unless junk. But you know what? Those tiny rectangles added up to nearly $800 for my youngest daughter's school this year. Here's an example. Things I collected on my weekly walk around the neighborhood. I admit it: Mondays are my favorite days of the week for collecting these goodies. Looks like a bunch of garbage, right? Right there, my friends, is the equivalent of 65 cents! Yes, I know we're not talking about earth-shattering amounts of money, but when it comes to free money you find, maybe, just maybe, 65 cents really isn't too bad. Week after week, it really adds up. Plus, I contribute my own box tops, and my daughter's class is suddenly giving $65, even though we're the only ones who bothered collecting them. To quote a recent episode of my favorite sit...

One of the easiest ways to put more into your Mama Money Bags is to cut back up front. Less is more, after all. Here in my part of Pennsylvania, PECO supplies our electricity and gas for heat. They send these handy dandy charts every month to show you how you compare to your neighbors. Here's my most recent one, which says we are more energy efficient than our efficient neighbors. The thing is: our mid-century almost 3,000 sf house isn't efficient at all. I just do little things every day to save electricity. Exhibit A: my clothing rack. We have an electric dryer, but I usually hang and entire load to dry on this Ikea folding metal rack all year long. It's at least 10 years old, and yes, I do about a load of laundry every day, which isn't too surprising with a family of five. Other ways to save on energy: --Leave the overhead lights off. When I work (often from home typing on a laptop) I just use one small lamp with an LED light bulb. --Adjust your therm...

Happy Mother's Day! Since Mama Money Bags is mostly meant for women who are looking for ways to save in this crazy economy, I just wanted to say enjoy your special day. Enjoy the little crafts your kids make you and their snuggles. That's what it's all about. Whether you're already a Cheap Mom like me or just starting out on a frugal lifestyle, know that you are strong and can make the changes needed to better your financial situation. As for me, like always, I picked out my own gifts. Hey, it's who I am and I own it proudly. I'm getting a Flynn Rider key chain, Disney pajamas from the outlet, and Austenland on DVD. My husband actually did the buying, but I was very detailed about what I wanted and even gave him some coupons to use. Most of all, though, I'm looking forward to my kids' gifts. My youngest daughter said I can't look in her backpack until Sunday and my son is busy at work on a new comic called Cheap Mom and the Saver (apparentl...

One way I fill my Mama Money Bags--especially after an unplanned purchase--is to "find" or "make up" extra money. It's not money I work for usually; it's unexpected finds that help out my weekly budget. After the sample sale, in which I bought the Barefoot Dreams robe I talked about on my last post and am currently wearing, I set out to make back the $33 I spent on 6 items--but wasn't necessarily planning on spending. It's been 3 days and I've already made it back, plus more. - $12 comes from Kidzeyes, a survey site my older two kids have participated in for about 5 years (see picture below). - $3 comes from a free Hallmark card that they're giving away every Friday through July. I needed to buy a card for my nephew's graduation; this free one is great. - $20+ comes from Coke rewards--22 cap codes got me coupons for a free large soda, large popcorn, and black ticket to AMC. - $10 comes from a CVS survey they sent me after I had to ...

#lovemyqvcjob Okay, pretty sure that by hashtagging that, I'm good to go. As a QVC employee--I write product descriptions for them--a benefit is being able to go to the weekly sample sale. Now, for a Cheap Mom like me, the sample sale is like a Holy Grail of sales, up there with Black Friday. So many deals! Today's find was better than most though. A Barefoot Dreams robe for $6--a savings of almost 96% (although I'm lacking the matching socks). It was love at first sight--me and the robe. It's soft and supple and perhaps one of the most exquisite things I own. That said, the steeply discounted price makes you start thinking about prices and items differently. What's really worth $150? What's really worth $6? Why do things cost what they do--yes, I know all about supply and demand, but should we actually pay it? And, most importantly, what's going into your Mama Money Bags? That said, it's certainly nice to treat yourself to a bit of luxury now and ...

I'm now on day four of not spending anything. To be honest, I'm starting to miss it a little, and that's the interesting part of budgeting and managing your finances. I think we're almost programmed to want to spend money--on food or a thing. It fills a void, a boredom, if you will. It gives a rush. Update: I only made it four days in a row this time; next week is always a new challenge.

The main idea behind Mama Money Bags is putting you in control of your personal finances. You have the power to save for your goals, your future. You have the power to get yourself out of debt. One way I accomplish this is through no-buy months, which are full of no-buy days in which I spend absolutely nothing. I didn't buy anything today, nor yesterday. It takes planning and resourcefulness, dare I even say stubbornness? Yes, because I'm a pretty stubborn person. Try it tomorrow. Don't spend a cent on anything, and see how you do. Could you do it again the day after tomorrow (wasn't that a movie? Love my sci-fi!)? My exceptions are bills, gas, and medical co-pays. Report back if you want as you start filling your Mama Money Bags!

After creating this blog over three years ago, I finally am doing something about it! My new e-book, Mama Money Bags , is coming soon. It's full of ideas to help mamas all over take control of their personal finances so they can live their best life possible. Stay tuned! In the meantime, you can find me at: https://www.facebook.com/MamaMoneyBagsBook/ https://twitter.com/MamaMoneyBags?lang=en https://amzn.to/2IxhBOf