It did not take long for me to start dreaming about next year’s vacation but now is the perfect time to think in that direction and to start budgeting. That is why I am sending off for this free brochure. Doesn’t it look lovely? (Honestly, we will probably go to the Beach Club again next year since that is what we always do and we will have a newborn in tow but a girl can dream…)

Confessions of a Homeschooler has a great idea for your bored children. You can view this scavenger hunt HERE. Now, if you are in the sweltering south, you might want to consider making a list of indoor items.

I am changing the format slightly for The Weekend Calendar to help it expand throughout the southeast and to give me a little less research to do.  Instead of giving you the details of each event, I plan to give you links to great sites to help you find events local to your area.  Hopefully, this will help you find some fun things to do with your family!

Festivals and Events ~ Just click your state to see what might be happening close to you! This is a nationwide calendar but only lists events that have been submitted.

Community Calendar Search ~ Do a search to see if they have the link to the community calendar near you.

Also, do not forget that most news stations have a community calendar too.

For locals:
City Of Mobile Calendar ~ Search events by type and date.

South Baldwin County, Alabama Calendar ~ See the month at a glance. Click events for more information.

Have a link to a community or event calendar that you think might help? EMAIL ME.

148 Days until Christmas!

Looking for a great (but cheap) gift idea for grandparents?  How about turning one of your favorite family photos in a piece of art?  With Canvas People, you can get a FREE 8×10 canvas ($55 value) and only pay shipping which I think is $14.95.  Not too shabby!  Want a larger canvas?  They will apply the $55 credit towards the size of your choice.

This is one you DO NOT want to miss!

Do you know a good price on produce when you see it?  Maybe this list will help. 

NOTE: These prices are the lowest prices I have found when shopping for produce along the northern Gulf Coast.  Best prices may vary by region.  To print this list, click HERE.

You can find advertisements for local produce stands in Thursday’s newspaper.

See a lower price?  Have a best price for an item not listed?  Please leave us a comment.

Please welcome Erin W. to the Penny Pincher @Work Spotlight.  She sent me this via Facebook.

I paid out of pocket $5.32….Got BACK $8.50 in CVS bucks!!! This MAY be my BEST haul EVER! Yes I did USE CVS bucks! $3.50 for nothing, they just printed out of the coupon kiosk and $6.98 from previous purchase…..still a GREAT buy! Thank you again!!!

Way to save, Erin!

For submitting her shopping trip, she is now entered for the Penny Pincher of the Month Contest. For more information, please click HERE.

If you need free tools to manage your Diabetes, try a FREE cookbook. Make a healthy meal plan in minutes with The Best of Diabetic Connect Low-Carb Recipes.

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Want to know which coupons are available in this Sunday’s newspaper? Click HERE to find out.

Why is this important and how can you use it to your benefit? If a coupon is available for something you KNOW you will need to stockpile, you can purchase extra newspapers, get in contact with friends who do not use coupons and ask for them to save their inserts for you or you can be ready to place your order with Coupon Clippers to have the coupons you need in before them end of the week.

149 Days until Christmas

This week, Money Saving Mom, which one of my favorite blogs, is having Christmas in July and had a really great post (HERE) about having a debt~free Christmas.

“Oh no!” you yelp. “I don’t want to think about Christmas yet!”

If you are serious about celebrating Christmas (or any winter holiday) without accumulating new debt, then you better snap out of it and get started. (Sorry to be so stern.)

Here are some tips we use to have a debt~free Christmas:

1. Keep focus.  Remember the reason why you celebrate.  For us, we focus on the meaning of Christmas as the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
2. Set a budget for Christmas. We include our Christmas cards, postage/shipping, gifts, special baking, decorations and anything related to December 25th in our Christmas budget. We also have budget per person for gift-giving.
3. Use cash only. As I preach with everything else, cash only will keep you shopping smart and will help you avoid overspending.
4. Start looking for deals now. If you have a specific gift list, now is a perfect time to start watching those prices and keeping a Christmas price book. If you are waiting for inspiration, do not forget to browse the clearance section each time you visit a store. This includes office supply stores! I was able to score Cross pen gift sets ($29.99 value) for $5 each one year.
5. Don’t feel like you have to meet a price-per-person. If you get a deal on a gift, use the retail value as the cost to apply toward your budgeted amount per person. There is a person in my family who feels obligated to spend the same amount for each person and if this person finds a deal, they use the sale price and by more. Nope, nope. Remember that the true value of the gift is not the price you paid but the thoughts of love you had toward that person when you purchased it.
6. Be willing to go back for a price~match. We actually had to go back three times to Toys R Us last year to get them to keep matching the price on a particular item we purchased because they lowered it each week. That time of year is busy with errands anyway so it was no difficult to swing back by there with the receipt. Just verify that a store will offer you a price adjustment, the amount of time included in that policy, and whether or not you need to bring the items or just the receipt to receive the difference.

What are your tips for having a debt~free Christmas? I would love to hear them because we all need help saving money during the most expensive time of year.

It is almost the last day of the month so get busy printing before some of those coupons disappear. Also, you will notice some special limited time coupons at Coupons.com. Be sure to print those today as they will be may gone tomorrow!

Click Here

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SmartSource
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