Kaley, Author at Cha-Ching on a Shoestring™

Cha-Ching Challenge Highlight

May 12th, 2009 By Kaley
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I will make a small commission if you click and make a purchase.

Welcome to the weekly Cha-Ching Challenge Highlight!

I am so pleased to announce our
Cha-Ching Challenge Highlight Winner!

This week’s highlight is Deal Squealer.

Check out her post highlighting her savings for the week–
a total of $151.53.

Way to go, Deal Squealer!

While you are there, I suggest checking out her
Mailbox Monday post. What a great idea!

Would you like to join us in next week’s Cha-Ching Challenge?

Simply come back on Friday and join the Cha-Ching Challenge by adding a link to your post sharing your savings for the week!

Coupon Database

May 12th, 2009 By Kaley
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I will make a small commission if you click and make a purchase.

Just a heads-up that I have updated my coupon database. You can view it by clicking here.

These coupons are from my Sunday papers, beginning March 1. Yours may vary depending on where you live. Feel free to check it out to see if it can be a help to you!

Unfortunately, this database is missing last week’s coupons (5/3/09) since I was out of town and did not get my local coupons. I will let you know if I find a way to add them!

To find out how I use this database and organize my coupons, go here.

Satisfying those Cravings

May 11th, 2009 By Kaley
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I will make a small commission if you click and make a purchase.

Let’s be real honest now, shall we?

We all have cravings, and they may or may not be pregnancy-related. I am going to be completely transparent and share mine.

I crave coffee. Quality coffee. There. I said it.

I’m talking lattes, cappucinos, and my all-time favorite: Starbucks Caramel Macchiatos.

Oh…what the hey…while I’m at it, I might as well share my other cravings:

massages
pedicures
going to the movies
chocolate
a good book
going out to eat
and the list goes on…

The problem is that it is very easy to feel guilty about indulging in any of these things when money is tight. And the reality is that money spent on wants is less money set aside for needs.

I’d like to share a few tips on how to make room for some of the more frivolous things in life.

Use birthdays to ask for items or experiences that you might feel guilty using your own money to buy. I currently have a gift certificate for a massage waiting patiently for me to use it. It was a gift on my last birthday. I also received an assortment of gift cards for my favorite coffee spots for Christmas. It’s OK to get pampered by others every now and then!

Sign up for Swagbucks or Mypoints. By doing so, you can earn gift cards for all your craving needs. Why not?

Consider giving yourself an allowance. My husband and I each receive a monthly ‘allowance’. (I know…and you thought that was only for your teenager.) It’s a small amount, but it’s ours to use on whatever we see fit. And considering the fact that each of us likes to spend money in different ways, (I like to splurge on the little things; he likes to save for the big things) this has not only been a financial help, but our marriage has benefited as well.

How do you make room to enjoy your cravings every now and then?

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!

May 10th, 2009 By Kaley
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I will make a small commission if you click and make a purchase.

Happy Mother’s Day to so many of my readers! I am currently enjoying being pampered by my husband and doing pretty much nothing. Ahhhh…

But, my sister in law sent me this Mother of the Year video and I just had to share. Enjoy and feel free to pass it on! It’s hilarious!

KFC Coupons: Rain checks

May 8th, 2009 By Kaley
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I will make a small commission if you click and make a purchase.

Oh my–this whole KFC thing has turned into a bit of a fiasco. I just read on their web-site that they have had such an overwhelming response that they are now offering rain checks when you bring your coupons in to your local KFC. They’ll even throw in a free Pepsi 2-liter. You’ll just have to wait for your rain-check to come in the mail.

Well, I for one still plan on making the trip. That grilled chicken is calling my name, and hey…it’s still free.

By the way, did you hear that El Pollo Loco is accepting these KFC coupons on Mother’s Day? Check out the scoop from “Dealicious Mom”.

eMeals: Meal Planning

May 8th, 2009 By Kaley
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I will make a small commission if you click and make a purchase.

Family-Dinner-Chicken

I have a confession to make.

I am not a fan of meal planning.

I wish it were not so. You may get your thrills over planning your weekly meals down to the last calorie and cent. I envy your passion, but I do not share it.

It’s not that I haven’t tried to enjoy meal planning. I have a folder full of cute little meal planning calendars, creative ideas from magazines, and a whole lot of other fun stuff intended to motivate me to become a meal planning guru.

And yet, I still approach this task with dread.

That’s why when my Mom introduced me to eMeals, I felt my heart skip a beat. Imagine having a maid who plans your meals around weekly deals, creates your grocery list, and only charges you as low as $5 a month…and you are imagining eMeals.

I LOVE IT!!!!!!

We are using the ALDI plan for two people since our kids don’t eat enough yet to use the bigger meal plans. We spend approximately $50 a week for the ingredients for five meals. That’s $10 a meal! Not bad. And considering the fact that we typically have enough leftovers for another meal or two, it’s actually less than that! (Update: Since writing this post, our boys have become much bigger eaters, so we’ve graduated to the family plan!)

There are a variety of stores to choose from including Kroger, Wal-Mart, and Publix; and a nice selection of specialty meal plans, including Vegetarian, Low Fat, and Low Carb.

I have LOVED simply printing out my list each week, and heading to the store with little to no planning. It saves me so much time, which is very important to me as a busy mom.

We have also really enjoyed their meals. They are simple, yet delicious. The perfect combination in my eyes. Our favorite meal so far has been the Open Face Ranch and Chicken BLT’s. mmmmmmm….

If this sounds interesting to you, simply go here to check it out. If you choose to sign up, you will automatically receive the latest meal plan in your account and you can opt to receive it by email weekly. Download it, print it out, and head to the store. It’s that easy!

OR if you have a Smartphone, find out more about the eMeals app here. It’s awesome!

And if you are wondering if this is a wise choice for frugal families, I will add that Dave Ramsey endorses the site. Enough said.

Mars Chocolate Giveaway

May 7th, 2009 By Kaley
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I will make a small commission if you click and make a purchase.

What’s this? Free and chocolate in the same sentence? Does it get any better than that??! I think not.

Starting Friday (5/8), Mars will be giving away 250,000 coupons every Friday through September to be redeemed for your favorite Mars product (Snickers, please!). Simply head here starting at 9 a.m. ET to enter the giveaway. You can also enter your e-mail address to be sent a reminder.

You’ll receive your coupon by mail within six weeks. Limit four coupons per household during the offer period.

I’ll race you there tomorrow!

The Art of Shopping with Children

May 7th, 2009 By Kaley
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I will make a small commission if you click and make a purchase.

I spent the morning out and about with my two boys and had to break my cardinal rule: NO SHOPPING WITH CHILDREN! Sigh…

It reminded me of this post that I wrote several months ago on my other blog (before my cardinal rule was in place), and I thought I’d share it here. I’m guessing some of you can relate?

I told Wes last night that my children may need to go through therapy one day because of me. They suffer a certain trauma almost weekly that may leave a lasting impression on them.

It’s called shopping. With one child, the horrors were manageable. As long as his chubby little legs still fit through those leg holes, we were fine (which is until about age 12 in my book). But two children is a whole new world. I mean, what will his therapist think when my older son shares his haunting memories of being trapped in a steel cage for endless hours?

Grocery shopping is among the worst of the offenders. Two children + a pile of food = a lot of smooshed bread. But OH THE JOY the day that I discovered the car cart. Never mind that maneuvering it through the store requires brute strength and an aircraft navigational system…I’ll take that over being one of ‘those moms’ with the screaming children any day.

However, since CVS is my drug of choice…I mean drug store of choice…it means squeezing two of them into a cart the size of my kitchen sink. And then finding room for all of my loot. And keeping Griffin bribed…I mean occupied. Fruit snacks are a blessing.

And why is it that the need to go potty always presents itself at the most inopportune moments? I think Griffin is a fan of the drug store bathrooms that are somewhere in the deep recesses of the stock room and require the help of a sales associate to find.

And then there is the check-out line. I am always so relieved when I find an employee who doesn’t mind their credit card machine being attacked by sticky little fruit snack-covered fingers. And since my cvs shopping requires multiple transactions involving higher math and about 12 coupons each, heaven only knows how many packs of lifesavers have been swiped by my little one from those perfectly-eye-level candy shelves. But hey–I probably had a coupon for them anyway.

How about you? Do you have any horror stories? What’s your secret to the art of shopping with children? Tell all and help save on my therapy bill when my children finally escape their steel cage.