personal finance in a coupon blog

Today is National Proposal Day! We couldn't pass this day up without giving it some special recognition to all the folks that will be getting engaged today or in the near future. Because we know that the high cost of rings can sometimes delay the whole engagement process, we've come up with the top 5 beautiful engagement rings under $1,000 that will brighten up your loved one's face:


If you're going for a classic and timeless look for an engagement ring, this one will never go out of fashion. The 1/4 ctw round diamond solitaire ring in 14k white gold will do the job. Coupon: 10% off your purchase. ($650; Zoara) Read More »

(photo: Thrifty NW Mom)

It's time to roll up your sleeves, get your gardening face on and head to your own yard or maybe even your kitchen. But...what if you have no clue on where to start or what to do? Is there a book on gardening for dummies? I'm sure there are, but no need to spend more money than you have to.

If you're a newbie like myself, you might make the mistake of spending a ton of money to get all your gardening materials and then being overwhelmed. Like anything, you want to take it step-by-step and try to take on a smaller project that's not going to break the bank.

Here are 5 ways to garden on a budget: Read More »

The day has finally come! Today is officially the first day of Spring and my daughter's birthday (Happy Birthday princess!). After all the wonderful recent articles about Spring cleaning, it's about time to get your home spruced up, organized and ready to go for the rest of the year.

Whether you're going through your spice rack or your shoe closet, have a pad of paper next to you at all times. You'll be able to jot down things you need and also write down the items you will either donate or sell at a yard sale. Just think of it as taking inventory.

Once you figure out what you need, go online and check prices. You have the ability to do comparison shopping and also visit your favorite deal blog to see if any in-store match-ups were already done for you. With that said, here are this week's top 5 deals: Read More »

Every PC needs protection. It's a hassle, but it's true. Read More »

What is one of the easiest ways to reduce your household expenses? Cut that grocery bill! And we love helping people do just that. You can easily cut your grocery bill by 50% or more with some strategic shopping strategies!

Let's chat about how to save money on groceries this Thursday, March 21, 2013 at 6pm PT/9pm ET with the #GrocerySavings hash tag and our awesome DealPro hosts!

Hosts: @cleverlysimple @sistersshopping @frugalfinders @mindicherry @bargainbriana @savings @savingsclasses

RSVP: Put the link to your Twitter handle below in order to RSVP. Read More »

Spring is in the air, and that means it's time to play in the dirt again. I just love turning the soil and planting some beauties for harvesting later in the year. 

Gardening can seem overwhelming if you've never done it, but it can actually be a pretty frugal venture with great return if you do it right. 

1. Keep it simple. If you've never done any kind of gardening before, then keep things simple by focusing on 3-4 plants this year. A lot of times we set ourselves up for failure by taking on too much when it comes to gardening. 

Check out this ultimate resource for getting ready for spring plantings. Read More »

If your expecting a baby or know someone who is, this is a great week for you. There's going to be an online baby shower next week hosted by Cozy Belly, mOmma, Daddy Scrubs and more. You can grab gift cards, baby bottles, breast feeding essentials and more. Over 7,000 items will be given away.

This week's list also includes a free game rental from Redbox. You'll be able to use your free coffee offers while your play your free game. Plus, don't forget to stop at Rita's for a free water ice on the 20th.

Freebie #1: Online Baby Shower - mOmma, Cozy Belly, Daddy Scrubs and more! Starts March 18th and will be offered on their Facebook pages.

Read More »

Are you ready to start trimming your household budget? The first place to start is with your grocery budget, where you can see the most significant savings just by changing some of your shopping habits.

You can slash your grocery budget by 50% or more, when you use simple strategies while shopping at the grocery store. Many people think that saving money at the grocery store is a time-consuming job of cutting out coupons and shopping at multiple stores every week, but here are some tips that you can use to save at the store that don't involve cutting out a single coupon:

1. Be prepared by going through the ad and stick to your list - The best way to blow your grocery budget is to be unprepared with no lists of items to look for and being enticed by the sights and sounds of the grocery store to spend more. Do some quick research ahead of time at home, by looking through the ad to see what is on sale and then trying to base your week's meals around the sale items for meat, produce and more. Even if you're running a last-minute errand to the store, always make sure you grab the store flyer as you walk in and scan the store sales and in-store coupons to see if there are any promotions or coupons you can take advantage of while you're there. Read More »

As you know doubt are aware, today is Pi Day! What's that? You haven't heard of this obscure "holiday" that rose to popularity in the last 10 years?

For the uninitiated, March 14th (3/14) is Pi Day, an annual celebration of the famed mathematical constant. Over the years, we have broadened the holiday to include Pi's more popular homophone counterpart- pie. In honor of Pi(e) Day, here's a list of the best Pi Day deals and freebies across the country. Read More »

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(photo credit: Premeditated Leftovers)

I'm always looking for new ways to save on groceries because its not always just about the coupons. Like playing a video game, you can have multiple strategies to come out a winner!

It's all about planning, strategizing and putting those into action. While it can be as simple as using coupons and following the sales cycle, there's actually a whole lot more to it than that. With these tips from our DealPros, you can come out a big winner at saving on your groceries:

Buying bigger doesn't always mean cheaper

Have you every found yourself at a shopping aisle looking at a smaller product such as an 8 oz. can of tomatoes for 32 cents versus looking at a larger 15 oz. can for 67 cents. Should you buy two 8 oz. cans or buy one 15 oz. can? Which choice is cheaper? Laura of A Frugal Chick did this comparison and found that buying bigger doesn't always mean cheaper. She suggests you make sure you look at the price before grabbing things off the shelf. Read More »

Are you up to anything this week? If you haven't already done so, it's probably a good time to organize everything you got in the mail for your taxes. I dedicated a majority of my Sunday (this past weekend) to get everything in order for my tax guy.

While I was looking through my spendings for 2012, it made me re-look at the different areas I could work on for 2013.

If you have credit cards, make sure you look at your year-end statements because they'll breakdown your spendings and put them on a graph. Not only will you see the percentage on a pie, you'll get a clear idea of your financial portfolio for the year. If you need to cut-back on some things, this statement will help you make a quick chop here and there.

But of course, you'll still have to make purchases throughout the year. It's all about making smart purchases by researching, price comparing and using coupons. To get you started, here are this week's top five deals: Read More »