Thursday, October 27, 2011

Great Gift Ideas That Also Support Race for the Cure

Great Gift Ideas That Also Support Race for the Cure

Monday, October 10, 2011

Cheap Eats...

A resource for those who are broke, laid off, terminated, looking for work, looking for money, looking for a deal, disabled, trying to make ends meet, tired and otherwise down on their luck.


The US government has made changes to the SNAP (formerly called Food Stamps) program!


Are you one of those thousands of unlucky people who will be losing their cash benefits or food stamps soon? Are you on unemployment and just barely making it check to check?

As a mother of five children, I have become very resourceful throughout the years. I know what it's like to be on government assistance, to work and get laid off, to work and get fired, to not be able to find work, to get food from churches, to borrow money from family, friends, coworkers, etc.


Hey, it happens to all of us at some time or another. I want to help you..all of you who are now in my shoes or falling gracefully from your comfortable financial spot down to my world. Welcome, you are among friends.

Now, let's get down to business!

Coupons

First thing you want to do is get coupons. I used to love clipping coupons out the Sunday paper. However, when it came time to shop I would either forget to bring them with me or misplace them. Digiral coupons are the way to go for me, but there are both digital and printing coupons available on the web.

Here are some good ones to join.
Shortcuts.com
PGeSaver
Coupons.com
Daily Deals

You can also check with your local supermarket websites. Most of the larger grocery chains have their own digital coupons like Krogers/Fry's Foods or Safeway.

Dollar Stores

Who would have ever thought that I would be splitting my grocery shopping between the grocery store and the dollar store? Not only is the dollar store great for things like toilet paper, party supplies and cleaning supplies, you can also buy many of your necessary food items there:

Salt/Pepper
Seasonings
Vinegar
Gravy
Juices/Kool Aid
Crackers/Cookies
Coffee Creamer
Sugar
Ketchup/Mustard/Condiments
and so much more!

Certain dollar stores also carry things like bread, milk and I have even seen frozen dinners and frozen chicken wings in Dollar Tree (Tempe, Arizona). You would have to check your location nearest you to see what they carry, but how awesome is that? Think of how much you would save! And, they except food stamps as well, so that's an added plus.

Warehouse Clubs

Buying in bulk is good if you shop wisely. The best things to buy in bulk is:

meat
whole potatoes
cereal
margarine/butter
soft drinks
canned vegetables
oatmeal
soup
spices/seasonings
condiments

You have to really check the prices as some items are actually cheaper in the grocery store than if you bought them bulk. Sams Club and Costco both accept EBT (Food Stamps) so there's another way to stretch your dollars!

Fast Food

Fast food is expensive. Especially if you have a large family. I can easily spend $30-$40 on fast food for my family if I want to splurge. If you must have fast food or just don't feel like cooking one night, look for the deals!!

Little Caesars - $5 pizza (cheese, 1-topping)- all day, everyday

Pizza Hut - $10 pizza --Any size, any crust, any toppings (up to 6)-usually for a limited time

Pizza Hut - .50 wings on Wednesdays - Can only be ordered in multiples of 8 wings, 14 wings, 22 wings or 44 wings

Dairy Queen - Cheap food and its delicious! Chili cheese dogs, cheeseburgers, chicken tenders and of course ice cream!

Church's Chicken - If you go on their website, you can see what deal they have for your location and print out a coupon. Save your receipt from there. On the back: 2 FREE PCS IF CHICKEN...just for commenting on your experience there.

Burger King - You really have to look for deals from Burger King. Usually they ut coupons in the mail. Other than that, if you do eat there, save their receipt as well. They give you a FREE WHOPPER or FREE CHICKEN SANDWICH for your opinions about your visit.

Well, that's it for now. I hope you all stay strong and stay blessed. Please feel free to comment and let me know if any of this information is a help to you!