personal finance in a coupon blog

Stepping into my kitchen is always fun, as I pass the pots of green filled with fragrant smells and beautiful leaves ready to be plucked and added to soups, stews, breads or whatever else I take a fancy to. 

Fresh herbs in the kitchen are a delight, and they are actually pretty easy to grow. With Spring arriving, many of you out there are wanting to get some gardening done. The sad truth is that most people will start to garden, and then end up failing because they take on too much right off the bat. 

An easy way to start gardening is to just begin by growing some indoor herbs. Here are some of my favorite herbs to grow, that are also very easy to grow.

1. Pineapple Sage. This easy-to-grow sage plant smells of heavenly pineapple. It's perfect for soups, stews and Italian dishes, but I'm particularly a fan of just smelling its beautiful aroma on a daily basis. 

2. Cilantro. This plant is so hearty, that it's pretty near impossible to kill. So if you have a thumb that is nowhere near a shade of green, then this should make you happy. Cilantro is great for when you're wanting to add a little bit of oomph to Mexican night.  Read More »

Every year, laptops go missing by the millions. Because they're small and highly portable (natch), they're easy pickings for thieves. I have several friends and family members whose homes were robbed, and every one of them lost at least one laptop. Talk about a rotten day.

However, while stolen TVs and jewelry can't call for help, laptops can--if you stock them with theft-recovery software. And by all accounts your best option is Absolute Software's LoJack for Laptops.

It's not what I would call a super-cheap solution, but at least there's a deal to be had: Buy one LoJack subscription, get a second for 50 percent off. Read More »

Earth Day is right around the corner. Whether your composting, living off the grid or using environmentally friendly cleaning products, you'll be reducing your carbon footprint and saving money all at the same time.

The truth is that if we don't take care of the environment, there are harsh consequences that we must face. The air quality will worsen over time (which it already has), our food supply would die and either we won't have water to drink or the water will be heavily polluted.

If you've been having a tough time making the transition to a greener lifestyle, let money be your motivation. Making green choices will help you save money in the long run and will also help contribute to a healthier lifestyle. We have 4 ways that will help you get started on becoming eco-friendly: Read More »

Now that tax day is over and done with, we can finally focus on things less stressful. If you're one of the lucky ones that got a return, you'll be able to put it to good use. Whether it's planning for that family trip to the big islands of Hawaii or use it to pay down credit card debt, you'll be happier mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually and yes, financially.

For those of us that had to pay Uncle Sam, I guess the good news is that we probably made a lot more than we expected. Although it hurts to pay out (I feel you), you can use this year's tax return as a general guideline to help you plan for next year's tax day and hopefully get a return.

Whether you got money from the IRS or gave money to them, I've got this week's top 5 deals for you (every little bit helps): Read More »

Our next Twitter Party is all about supporting a good cause. We're working with Valpak to raise awareness and money for the annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive, the largest one day food drive in the U.S., and we're putting out a call for support from all of you!

You can be a hero to food banks in your community! Be sure to join us and share how you are a hunger hero in your own community and spread ideas to others who are looking for ways to become more involved.

You can start by visiting the Valpak.com to pledge your support to Stamp Out Hunger in your community. For each pledge made, Valpak will donate $1 (up to $5,000) to Feeding America.

To learn more about the drive, you can visit the Stamp Out Hunger Facebook page here and don't forget to place non-perishable food by your mailbox on May 11, 2013.

Join us this Tuesday, April 23, 2013 at 6pm PT/9pm ET with the #HelpSOH hash tag and our awesome DealPro hosts!

Hosts: @MommySavesMoney, @GettingFreedom, @UltCouponClub, @PrettyFrugal, @SavingsClasses, @Savings and @ValpakCoupons.

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

Earth Day...April 22...let's dedicate a day to celebrate the planet! Time to pull on your eco-friendly gloves and dig deep for some cool ways to celebrate for free right? Or you can read this post for tips! Here are 10 things you can do for free to celebrate Earth Day.

1. Upcycle some old tees into trendy accessories at a local Michaels. 

2. Grab a free cup-a-joe at Caribou when you take in a reusable mug. 

3. Pick up a free packet of seeds at Pottery Barn and have some fun in the garden!  Read More »

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Earth Day is coming up on April 22, so what better way to celebrate it than by going green while saving some green at the same time? A lot of people think that it takes a lot of money in order to help save the planet, when in fact it's quite the opposite. Here are a couple of things you can start doing today that will help you save the planet while saving some moolah. 

1. Get an electric lawnmower. Spring is here and it's time to cut the grass! If you're needing a new lawnmower, go for the electric version so that you don't need to use gasoline to power it. It's a great way to save some money and reduce your carbon footprint at the same time!

2. Make your own laundry detergent. Making your own laundry detergent takes about 20 minutes to do, and it will save you a whole lot of cash! Seriously, I mean...like a lot of cash. I make my own laundry detergent and it costs me about .02 cents per load (get the ingredients on sale!). Check out these homemade laundry detergent recipes. They are eco-friendly and economical!  Read More »

What special plans do you have for Earth week? It's a great time to teach the kids about taking care of our planet, creating a recycling program for your home, or making a plan to help your household save energy. Best of all, none of these ideas cost you any money…in fact most of them will actually help you save money while saving our planet.

My family will be spending Earth week outdoors getting our yard ready for the warm weather ahead. The blustery winter brings lots of leaves, branches, and twigs that need to be cleaned up (they'll be headed to our compost pile as you'll see below) and the kids love to explore while we are doing so. What a better way to celebrate the Earth than being outside and enjoying it! Read More »

While we are the richest country in the world, the sad fact is that many families in our communities are going hungry. Some go to bed hungry and others don't know where their next meal will be coming from. It's a real crisis.

After watching, Hunger Hits Home, my 7 year old said, "Mommy, it's so sad. It's not okay that people don't have food. How can we change this?".

It's not just a stranger's reality, this is a common issue that can happen to any one of us. Hunger hits our neighbors, our friends and our family. Most hardworking Americans that do have jobs still struggle to feed their family. Read More »

Ok, before you're scared away by the words "Tax Day," hear me out. I know taxes can be painful. They're tedious, potentially costly, and you're never quite sure you did them right. But we at Savings.com are on a mission to highlight the pros of Tax Day. First, there are the Tax Day freebies. Second, there's the potential for a refund! And most importantly...there's Tax Day Ryan Gosling. Read More »

Are you done with your taxes? If so, it's time to celebrate with these Tax Day freebies.

If you're a bride-to-be, you can pick yourself up a free keychain with your new name on it. RSVP to the in-store event and show them your relationship status on Facebook to get yours.

I recommend to everyone who has a smart phone to download the 7 Eleven app, there's a freebie this week (plus, they offer freebies often).

This week there's a little bit of something for everyone including your four-legged friend.

Freebie #1: LEGO Instruction Download - Here's something for those who don't have LEGO store near them or can't attend the in-store LEGO Builds. LEGO offers downloadable instructions for the item they built at the stores each month.

Read More »