01.26.08

Last week our Mommysavers Members participating in the Forget the Joneses Boot Camp completed a three-week spending freeze.  Scroll down to read what they had to say about what they learned (and how much money they saved).  It's still not too late to jump on board this time around.  What have you got to lose?

We're also gearing up for Valentine's Day already and will be bringing you some great frugal meal ideas for February 14th and year-round.  Romantic meals don't have to cost a lot!

Have a great week!

Kim
 

In this Issue:
1. Welcome

2. Coupons, Freebies and Offers

3. Valentine's Day Gifts and Entertainment

4. Forget the Joneses

5. What's New

6. Forum News

$1.00 off The February Issue of SELF Treat yourself to a good magazine!

$1.00 off Bertolli Oven Bake Meals Great to have on hand to avoid takeout temptation

$10 in Savings When you sign up with General Mills for the Dinner Made Easy newsletter, FREE coupon booklets, and Box Tops for Education programs

Baby Samples and Coupons from Huggies Savings, samples when you join HUGGIES Baby Network(R)

Watch a Romantic Movie  Get $2 off these great movies:  When Harry Met Sally, The Princess Bride, The Devil Wears Prada, Say Anything, Lars and the Real Girl, Romeo and Juliet, Moulin Rouge, An Affair to Remember, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and Ever After

Valentine's Day Trio - Two for $9.99!  Valentine's portraits for are great gifts for grandparents!  Printable coupon

$5.00 off Kodak Valid on Kodak Picture Maker Movie DVD - Great gift idea!

$10 off Game Play at Dave and Busters  Fun for the whole family

Romantic Meal Idea #1:  Lobster Lovers

Setting the Scene:   Seafood lovers will enjoy creating an Oceanside eatery in their own dining room.

Menu:  Even with grocery prices on the rise, Maine lobster may be the best deal out there for frugal foodies.  A drop in demand, combined with an above average supply, has resulted in terrific prices. With lobster prices as low as $6.99 a pound, you’ll be able to afford great sides like steamed broccoli and a baked potato.

Special Touches:  Look for a CD of ocean sounds at your local Dollar Store.

Watch for a new frugal meal idea each week leading up to Valentine's Day! 

Forget the Joneses Boot Camp Day 23:  Be a Proactive Shopper 
Change the way you view your meal planning and grocery budget. Become a proactive grocery shopper vs. a reactive grocery shopper. Instead of buying something when you need it, you’ll be buying it when you can get it at the best possible price.

Continue to create meals based on what you have at home rather than what you want to eat. Then, use the money in your grocery budget to build your stockpile – with an emphasis on your frugal meals list and pantry list.

Being willing to try new things can also help you save. Are St. Louis Ribs half price this week and an additional $1.00 off with a coupon? Score! Even if you don’t regularly make ribs, that’s a great deal, and can bring the price of a typically more expensive meat down under that of ground beef or chicken. Make it your goal to learn new cooking techniques. You’ll experience some flops along the way, but over time you’ll build up a great collection of recipes that will enable you to take advantage of great deals with confidence.

Use your price book as a guide to research what are truly the best grocery bargains and purchase those things when the time is right. Eventually, you’ll have a large enough stockpile so that you will be able to create your family’s favorite meals with what you have on hand at home already.

Gift List
Most of us have lots of people on our gift list throughout the year, but it’s something that we often fail to plan ahead and budget for. Keeping a master list of every gift you need to buy throughout the year: not just holidays and birthdays, but teacher appreciation gifts, and other holidays like Valentine’s Day, Easter, and so on can help you save money as well as stay organized. Write down everyone you need to buy for and when you find a great deal, snap it up and check that person and occasion off your list – no matter what time of year it is. Keep your “gift stash” in one place so that when you need to find the gift you know where it is. You may also want to keep a few generic gifts for baby showers, housewarming parties, and other unexpected occasions.
 

Forget the Joneses Testimonials  After the 21 day spending freeze we were able to save 349.00 to put toward our house fund!! I have no idea where all the money came from, so it is my new challenge to get back to tracking where our money goes, I did it years ago, but stopped. -- Aleise02

Since not going out to eat, or ordering out I have enjoyed trying out more recipes and NEW recipes in my kitchen. I believe things had gotten 'stale' here with the same meals day after day. I've been putting new life into our meals and my kids are enjoying it. -- Missystuy

I have to say making a bi-weekly menu for dinner has been the best. During the freeze I had to use what was in the house and that forced me to really know what i had on hand. I no longer say "there's no food in the house". Making meals around what I already had is saving us so much money.  -- Smilydot

I have found that I am really saving money just by making a menu and by still cooking from the pantry and the freezer. I think I still have some bad habits to break as far as picking up things we really "don't" need, but want to buy out of convenience. I am so grateful for all of the other voices that are on this journey with me. -- Supermomof2

Thanks in part to the spending freeze and in part to a 3-paycheck month, we have managed to completely pay off the last of one of our debts (there was about $1700 remaining) and I have a solid plan to rid ourselves of our last remaining debt this year. -- jvryden

Forget the Joneses Boot Camp 2009  Our six-week financial boot camp is in full swing!  Join us and get your finances in shape in the New Year.