One of the Reasons I Use Coupons...

It's confession time again....I'm a Disney World Addict.  I have to blame my mother for this ailment.  She took me to Disney World regularly as I was growing up and I got to be very spoiled that way.  I would really love and hope to be able to be able to keep travelling there.  Disney World isn't cheap though, so if I want to go then I've got to be saving money in other places. 

We are planning a Disney vacation for next year, so I just ordered my FREE Disney Parks Vacation Planning DVD.  I always order one of these every year even when I'm not planning a trip!  They tell me what's new in the theme parks, are fun to watch and put me in the Disney mood!

Are you a Disney addict?  What are some of the ways you save for a Disney vacation?

Confession - I Love Garage Sales!

I am so excited I finally had a chance to get to some garage sales this past weekend!  It had been too long!  I was so out of routine that I even went without a plan just because I was so ready to go!  Now I know there are some of you out there who still refuse to shop at garage sales or second hand stores, but I'm telling you - you are missing out on some great deals! 

I went out Friday morning to a neighborhood sale and bought a dress, two pairs of jeans, 3 sweaters, 1 jacket, 2 summer shirts and a pair of shoes for my daughter.  Plus 1 pair of pants and 3 books for my son all for $ 27.25.  There may be some pro-garage salers out there reading this that might not think an average of $2.50 for the clothing items is a good deal, but keep in mind all the clothing items were either Baby Gap, Gymboree or Children's Place so I was feeling pretty good!  In the future I'll try to get some pictures of my hauls.  This weekend's loot has already been sorted out and semi-put away.

I am always shopping ahead for the kids, so I'm never just looking for summer items or the current season.  If I find something I like that will fit them later down the road I pick it up.  I have bins marked in my basements with either boys or girls sizes so when it's time to get some needed clothes I first go shopping in the basement.

My number one priority is always nice kids' clothes then children's books.  For myself I like to look for movies.  My husband goes for tools.  So what about you?  Do you love garage sales?  What do you look for? 

Confession of the Day - I Like Long John Silver's

My family doesn't eat a lot of fast food.  We might eat it about once a month and usually because we're having lunch with friends or traveling.  Once Lent starts every year though you can find us at Long John Silver's regularly on Friday's.  I don't usually care for fish, but I start craving their battered fish doused in malt vinegar.  I know - I'm odd. 

Since the Lenten season has started it's time for me to satisfy my LJS cravings once again.  I will be sure to take some coupons with me.  You can find Long John Silver's coupons HERE in case you share this craving.

Confession of the Day ... Plus a Giveaway!

I'm confessing....I subscribe to a lot of magazines, so many magazines in fact that I can't possibly read them all.  My desk cabinet is full and usually looks like this

I knew it was getting bad when the shelf actually collapsed from the weight of them all.  The thing is I enjoy looking at them - when I have the time. All of the subscriptions are free to me.  I have a hard time saying no to a free magazine offer.  I think I need some help. 

To keep me from adding yet another magazine to the stack I would like to personally give away a magazine subscription to one of my readers.  The winner can choose one subscription from the following selections:

• Outside Magazine (one-year subscription)
• Elle (one-year subscription)
• Elle Décor (one-year subscription)
• Cosmopolitan (two-year subscription)
• Wine Spectator (one-year subscription)
• Fast Company (one-year subscription)
• Golf Digest (one-year subscription)
• Seventeen (one-year subscription)
• Entrepreneur (one-year subscription)
• Shape (two-year subscription)
• Working Mother (two-year subscription)
• Travel + Leisure (one-year subscription)

Sorry - this giveaway is over
To Enter the Giveaway you must be a follower of this blog.  You can enter one time or multiple times (up to 5 entries) - just be sure to enter a separate comment for each of the ways you follow.

1.  Subscribe to Confessions of a Frugal Mind by email.  You must confirm your subscription.  Leave me a comment and let me know that you subscribe.

2.  "Like" Confessions of a Frugal Mind on Facebook then leave a comment letting me know you have liked the page.

3.  Follow this blog via Google Friend Connect then leave a comment letting me know.

4.  Follow me on Twitter @JulsB20.  Then leave me a comment with your Twitter handle.  I will try to follow you back!

5.  Follow this blog on Networked Blogs then leave a comment letting me know you do.

This giveaway will end Thursday, February 17th at 11:59 pm CST.  Must be a US Resident to win.  Winner will be chosen at random.  Magazine availability subject to change without notice. 

Disclosure:  I was not given anything for posting this giveaway.  I just feel the need to give! 

Confession of the Day - I Need Some Feedback!

Thanks to this article from the Des Moines Register I've had quite a few more visitors to the site.  Thanks for stopping by.  I'm glad you're here!  I would love to hear from you.  Please leave your comments and let me know what posts you like and other things you would like to see.  You can also connect with me by subscribing and receiving a daily update of what's been posted or you can "like" Confessions of a Frugal Mind on Facebook.

Confession of the Day - If There is Free Ice Cream Involved - I Sign Up!

It's no secret I love ice cream.  I eat a lot of it.  I might be eating some right now as I type up this post even if it is freezing cold outside. To support my sweet tooth I have signed up with the email clubs of all of the ice cream shops around town.

You have the Blizzard Fan Club at Dairy Queen that frequently sends you buy one get one offers.  

Cold Stone Creamery sends out special offers for your birthday.

 Baskin Robbins Birthday Club will send you a free scoop on your birthday and a discount on your birthday cake. I highly recommend Peanut Butter 'n Chocolate.                                 

Maggie Moo's also has an email club for you to sign up and receive birthday surprises.

Am I missing any ice cream freebies out there?  Please let me know! 

Confession of the Day - I Enter Sweepstakes

Okay if you know me or have been reading this blog at all you know this isn't much of a confession.  I don't mind sharing that I like to enter sweepstakes on the internet and I love to win.  Although I am still waiting to win that dream house, ultimate vacation or the boat of my husband's dreams, I have won a lot of great stuff.  Some of my favorites included $500 toward custom blinds, $250 in Biaggis gift cards and a $100 check from Baby Talk magazine.  I love all the small stuff too - dvds, iTune gift cards, books, the list could go on and on.  I'm not writing this to brag - the point I'm trying to make is that you can't win if you don't enter and I'm proof that you really can win.

My favorite type of sweepstakes are instant-win that provide instant gratification.  Here are a few you can enter right now:


Pillsbury Toaster Strudel - A Million Morning Smiles

Honey Nut Cheerios - Non Challenge Instant Win Game

Tony's Pizza 99 Days of More

Ocean Spray & Heinz Ultimate Party Meatballs

Dollar General Fresh Start Every Day Swepstakes

Hunts Host The Ultimate Chef Party

Lindor Truffles What's At the Center of Your Dreams

Halls Pop a Drop and Don't Stop


That list should give you a good start.  Now let me know if you win anything and good luck!

Confession of the Day - I Splurge on Shoes

Here's my confession....I like shoes...a lot.  My favorite brand of shoes happens to be Cole Haan.  While this is not a frugal choice it is always my first shoe of choice. I can wear them for years and I love that they are stylish and so comfortable too.  Whenever I'm scanning the clearance rooms for shoes I'm keeping an eye out for Cole Haans.  So today I was happy to see that Cole Haan is a featured deal at 6pm.com.  I may have splurged on a pair.

If you do some shopping at 6pm.com make sure you go through Ebates so you get another 2.5% cash back!

Confession of the Day - I Use My Credit Cards All the Time

Believe me, I know this goes against just about everything you will read from the financial experts, but credit cards for me are a way of getting rewarded for making all of my everyday purchases.

The golden rule of credit card usage is to NEVER carry over a balance.  We would also never charge something we couldn't just pay outright for. 

We have multiple credit cards and use them for different types of purchases.  If there is a credit card company that will give me 5% cash back on my purchases then that is the card I'm going to use.  Our primary card is a card that gives us 5% cash back annually on our gas, grocery and drug store purchases.  Cards like Discover offer 5% rewards on different categories of purchases throughout the year, so I'm always signed up and aware of what card to use when.  I also love that for Discover cashback bonus you can increase your reward by choosing a partner gift card.  I'm a big fan of getting $25 Gap gift cards for my $20 bonus.  We also have a card linked to our Upromise account that earns us 1% toward our children's 529 college savings accounts.

One site I use to help manage our finances is Mint.com.  Through this site you can compare some different credit card offers and determine what card might work best for you.

What do you think?  I know with credit card usage going down I am in the minority here.  How do you like to pay for things like gas and groceries?

Confession of the Day - I Get A Lot of Emails

There always seems to be something in my Inbox.  A lot of this is my own fault.  I sign up for multiple survey panels and rewards programs because I like to earn extra money.  I especially love earning when it takes nothing on my part other than opening some emails.  Here are a couple of programs where I can do just that - open the email, click on the link and earn $$.

The first one is InboxDollars which I've been a member of for 2 years now.  I receive 2 to 3 emails a day to my non-primary email address.  I also receive survey invitations through Inbox Dollars which I can complete to earn more. You'll receive a $5 sign up bonus HERE.

MyPoints is one of my favorite ways to earn.  You will receive a few emails a day and also survey invitations.  With MyPoints you can also print coupons from the site and earn 10 points for each coupon you print and redeem.  You can also go through the MyPoints site to do your online shopping and earn points with every purchase made through their partner sites.  Your points can be redeemed for gift cards from a lot of different companies.  I always save my points up to get $50 Gap gift cards which helps support my habit of buying my kids' clothes there.  You can join MyPoints HERE. 

Again I recommend signing up with your non-primary email address so that you can easily filter through your emails.  Let me know if you have any questions about either of these programs.

Confession of the Day - I Love to Shop Online

I really love to shop any where at any time, but the ability to shop in the comfort of my own home whenever I get the urge is a wonderful thing.  It could also be a dangerous thing, but there are a few different things I do when I shop online to ensure I'm still being a deal-minded shopper.

First of all I do my research online to make sure I'm not missing any discount codes or free shipping codes.  One of my favorite sites for this is RetailMeNot.com. 

Next I make sure I shop online through a site like Upromise.com where I link to the retailer of my choice and earn a percentage back.  With Upromise if I shop at a site like Gap.com I can earn 5% in my Upromise account that I have linked to my children's 529 college savings accounts.  You can also shop through Ebates.com and get a percentage of your purchase as cash back.  (For both sites the percentage back varies depending on the retailer)

ShopItToMe.com is a deals site that I've been a member of for over a year.  You can choose the retailers and brands that you want deals for and they will send you an email when those items are on sale at various online retailers.  You can pick how often you get emails from them.  It's great if you have you eye on a specific brand, but don't have the time to research every retailer to try to find the best deal.

Confession of the Day - I Don't Have a Budget

I know that setting a budget is one of the first things you will read about when it comes to gaining control of your finances.  I have never done this though. However, I do track every single penny we spend.  I've been doing this for almost 8 years now.  I can go back to any month and know how much we spent on monthly bills, gas & groceries.  Over time I've added categories to my very simple spreadsheet to include the following:

1. Monthly Bills (Energy, Utilities, Cell Phone, Mortgage, dues,etc. all go here)
2. Gas
3. Groceries
4. Entertainment (all dining out, event tickets, vacation expenses go here)
5. Misc (this category is very broad for us and could be narrowed down some more but any spending on clothes, gifts, Target trips, donations, etc. all get tracked here)
6. I have a column for each of my children to track their individual daycare exprenses, preschool tuition, clothes, toys and books that can easily be distributed)
7. The last column tracks our net pay so we can easily determine how much we are spending every month on everything vs. how much we are seeing from our paychecks

This system has worked well for us and I can easily compare from month to month when we have spending changes or where are big expenses were. 

Do you have a budget?  Do you have a way to track your spending?

Confession of the Day - I Love Getting the Mail

Especially on days when my mailbox is loaded with all the samples and freebies I've requested. 

Look at what came in the mail for me yesterday ~



Did you get anything fun in the mail yesterday?

Confession of the Day - I Do Surveys for Cash Part 2

I have been a member of e-Rewards since January 2008.  I use my non-primary email address to receive survey invitations.  You'll receive a reward amount even if you do not qualify.  Through e-Rewards I've redeemed my reward dollars for multiple magazine subscriptions and also $25 American Eagle gift cards.  I just used one of those gift cards last night to buy myself some new socks!

Confession of the Day - I Do Surveys for Cash Part 1

I don't make a fortune doing it obviously, but it is fun to get small checks in the mail for doing them.  Here are a couple of the companies I have been completing surveys for a while now with.

I have been a member of Mindfield Online since January 2008.  I receive several emails a week from the company.  I always use my non-primary email address when registering and if I don't have time I can just delete the request.  There is quick check to see if I qualify for the survey and they tell you how long it will take.

Another company I receive surveys from is Synovate Global Opinion Panels.  I have been a member since July 2007.  Synovate is great because it will reward you with points even if you don't fully qualify for the survey plus they have monthly sweepstakes for all survey participants.  You redeem your points for cash.  Again I registered using my non-primary email address.

Confession of the Day - Free Music Rocks My World

Did you know that the iTunes store has a Free on iTunes section that gets updated with new mp3s and videos every week?  I have downloaded some great things for free just by checking the Free section each week.  Most of the time I'm not yet familiar with the songs they are giving, but then a couple of months later the songs blow up on the radio.

I've gotten songs like Owl City's "Fireflies" & Neon Trees "Animal" long before they were popular.  And if you don't end up liking something you can always delete later.  You just never know what you might find.  Most recently I was excited that iTunes had the video for Jack Johnson's "At or With Me" featuring Andy Samberg.

Amazon's MP3 store also has a Free Song of the Day for download.  I'm not as good about checking regularly and haven't found any favorites this way, but I will let you know if I do!

Confession of the Day - I'm Addicted to Pop

I really truly love pop and drink way too much of it (usually 2 cans a day).  Pop is an expense most people could cut out of their budget.  Personally I love the brown fizzy stuff plus the caffeine that comes with it, so I refuse to give it up.  However, I also refuse to pay more than $ 2.50 for a 12-pack and I stock up when my favorites are on sale.

That's why my basement looks like this

What do you refuse to go without?

Confession of the Day - I Get My Groupon On!

I was so excited when Groupon started including Des Moines deals.  Yes, we have other local deals sites, but with Groupon they add a new deal each weekday.  Quantities are limited, but are much higher than some of the other deals sites we have.   If enough people are interested in the groupon for that day the deal is activated.  If not enough people want a specific offer, no one gets it and no one is charged.  This is the incentive to invite your friends. If it is activated you will get an email saying your purchase was a success and you can print your Groupon and use it.

Today's Des Moines Groupon is for Bistro Montage.  I have only been to this restaurant once, but with this deal paying only $30 for a $60 value I can afford to go again soon!  You can check out the deal of the day and sign up for Groupon HERE.

Confession of the Day - I Love Swag Bucks!

I discovered Swagbucks this summer as I was browsing other deal blogs and decided to look into it.  Once I signed up I learned how easy it is to earn swagbucks and get rewarded for it!  I wish that I had learned about it a long time ago, but even in the last few months that I have been using swagbucks I have earned about 13 prizes.  I always redeem for $5 Amazon.com e-gift cards, but there are lots and lots of other options.  That is just the reward that you get the most bang for your buck in my opinion.

To learn more and start earning now go HERE