Columnist with the N&O who has tutorials on everything about saving money:
http://projects.newsobserver.com/taking_stock
Bloggers who blog about deals:
http://www.moneysavingmom.com/
http://www.cincinnaticents.blogspot.com/
http://mommysnacks.blogspot.com/
http://www.weeklyfreebie.com/
http://moneysavingmethods.blogspot.com/
http://freebies4mom.blogspot.com/
http://www.stretchingabuckblog.com/
http://thecentsiblesawyer.blogspot.com/
http://www.couponcravings.com/
http://sahmmoney.blogspot.com/
Online Coupons:
http://www.couponloop.com/
http://www.thecouponclippers.com/
Grocery Game: try it to see if it works for you: http://www.thegrocerygame.com/
http://projects.newsobserver.com/taking_stock
Bloggers who blog about deals:
http://www.moneysavingmom.com/
http://www.cincinnaticents.blogspot.com/
http://mommysnacks.blogspot.com/
http://www.weeklyfreebie.com/
http://moneysavingmethods.blogspot.com/
http://freebies4mom.blogspot.com/
http://www.stretchingabuckblog.com/
http://thecentsiblesawyer.blogspot.com/
http://www.couponcravings.com/
http://sahmmoney.blogspot.com/
Online Coupons:
http://www.couponloop.com/
http://www.thecouponclippers.com/
Grocery Game: try it to see if it works for you: http://www.thegrocerygame.com/
e-coupons:
If you shop at Kroger then you need to check these sites out for loading eCoupons onto your Kroger Plus Card. Remember that you can also use a paper coupon plus an eCoupon on one item purchased to increase your savings. But wait - there's more! You can load eCoupons with Upromise to earn money for college and you can also earn eLabels with Campbell's to earn free stuff for your school.
Shortcuts.com Load up to 50 coupons onto your Kroger Plus Card. Shortcuts is my favorite eCoupon site because they have the widest variety of coupons. Go ahead and load all of them since the limit has increased to 50!
P&G eSaverLoad the new Winter Coupons for P&G brand products - all 36 of them. You have until March 31 to redeem them. Match them up with your P&G coupons from the Sunday paper or free samples you've received for doubled savings.
CellfireLoad up to 50 coupons for Kroger brand products plus Huggies, Kotex, Pepperidge Farm and Colgate. I love all the coupons from Kroger brand products because I buy so many of them and this makes their low prices even lower!
For Lowe's Shoppers e-Offers ...available exclusively at Lowes Foods. You select on-line discounts and add them directly to your Lowes Foods Rewards Card. Shop and receive your discount instantly!
UPromise.comEarn money for college by linking your grocery store and drug store loyalty cards with your Upromise account. You load eCoupons for specific products onto your cards, and when you buy those products your Upromise account is credited with the coupon values. So your college savings account grows as you shop.
Campbell's eLabels for Education Earn eLabels for your school when you buy participating products.
Tips for using eCoupons:
*Load your coupons, but make sure you allow time for them to add to your Kroger Plus Card before you go shopping (P&G sends you an email when you're coupons are done loading). Don't load your coupons the hour before you shop, they might not be in the computer system yet!*Go ahead and load them all, the limits have been increased so you shouldn't have to worry about reaching the limit. I will admit I've accidentally purchased an item that I had an eCoupon loaded for - what a nice surprise to get that extra coupon savings that wasn't planned.
*Print a list of your coupons to take with you to the grocery store. This list also helps you gather paper coupons to use on the same products you are using eCoupons on to increase your savings.
*Check your receipt to make sure your eCoupons were deducted, but don't expect the cashier to be able to fix your receipt. Contact the website where you loaded the eCoupons at for help.
*For Upromise and Campbell's, log into your account to see if you were credited for your purchases. It can take a few days for credits to appear in your account.
Another idea I've been using lately that is also very eco friendly is to use less disposable stuff - no paper plates, no swiffer, etc.
Last but not least - make your own laundry soap!
Making your own laundry soap is very easy! No longer do you need to rely on store bought detergents. With a few ingredients on hand you will be able to make batch after batch of laundry soap. The cost savings by doing this is incredible and the soap is eco friendly and great for sensitive skin.
What Ingredients Do You Need?
You will need 3 basic ingredients; a soap of some sort, washing soda and borax.
The Soap: The most typical type of soap to use is Fels Naptha. It is an old-fashioned type of soap usually found in the laundry aisle. The other options for soap are Ivory or another brand called, Zote. Any of these will work. I've used my own homemade glycerin soap and find it worked quite well. If you use Ivory or your own homemade soap you will need to use the whole bar. Next batch I'm going to try using Johnson and Johnson's Bathtime Buddies soap as I got a bunch for free using coupons! Update! - The Johnson's Buddies soap didn't work as well - for some reason it never gelled and tends to separate. Seems to clean the same but is kinda annoying...
Washing Soda: This is not to be confused with baking soda. They are not the same thing. Washing soda is sodium carbonate or soda ash (baking soda is sodium bicarbonate). It is a white powder. Its purpose is to help remove dirt and orders. One brand is Arm & Hammer Washing Soda. You may find it in the laundry section of your grocery store. Many people have a hard time finding this locally, though. I know you can purchase it on-line, even through Amazon.com. Or, your grocery store manager if it would be possible for the store to get it for you. I buy Soda Ash from http://www.dharmatrading.com/
Borax: Borax is a naturally occurring mineral: Sodium Borate. It is a white powder. It’s purpose is as a laundry whitener and deodorizer. The brand to look for is 20 Mule Team. It comes in a 76 oz. box. You should be able to locate this in the laundry detergent aisle. Again as with the washing soda, if you cannot find it ask you store manager or look online.
The Recipe
Now that you have assembled all the needed ingredients here is the recipe:
Homemade Laundry Soap
1/3 bar Fels Naptha or other type of soap, as listed above
½ cup washing soda (or ¼ c. soda ash)
½ cup borax powder
What Ingredients Do You Need?
You will need 3 basic ingredients; a soap of some sort, washing soda and borax.
The Soap: The most typical type of soap to use is Fels Naptha. It is an old-fashioned type of soap usually found in the laundry aisle. The other options for soap are Ivory or another brand called, Zote. Any of these will work. I've used my own homemade glycerin soap and find it worked quite well. If you use Ivory or your own homemade soap you will need to use the whole bar. Next batch I'm going to try using Johnson and Johnson's Bathtime Buddies soap as I got a bunch for free using coupons! Update! - The Johnson's Buddies soap didn't work as well - for some reason it never gelled and tends to separate. Seems to clean the same but is kinda annoying...
Washing Soda: This is not to be confused with baking soda. They are not the same thing. Washing soda is sodium carbonate or soda ash (baking soda is sodium bicarbonate). It is a white powder. Its purpose is to help remove dirt and orders. One brand is Arm & Hammer Washing Soda. You may find it in the laundry section of your grocery store. Many people have a hard time finding this locally, though. I know you can purchase it on-line, even through Amazon.com. Or, your grocery store manager if it would be possible for the store to get it for you. I buy Soda Ash from http://www.dharmatrading.com/
Borax: Borax is a naturally occurring mineral: Sodium Borate. It is a white powder. It’s purpose is as a laundry whitener and deodorizer. The brand to look for is 20 Mule Team. It comes in a 76 oz. box. You should be able to locate this in the laundry detergent aisle. Again as with the washing soda, if you cannot find it ask you store manager or look online.
The Recipe
Now that you have assembled all the needed ingredients here is the recipe:
Homemade Laundry Soap
1/3 bar Fels Naptha or other type of soap, as listed above
½ cup washing soda (or ¼ c. soda ash)
½ cup borax powder
essential oil for scent if desired
~You will also need a small bucket, about 2 gallon size~
Grate the soap and put it in a sauce pan. Add 6 cups water and heat it until the soap melts. Add the essential oil, washing soda and the borax and stir until it is dissolved. Remove from heat. Pour 4 cups hot water into the bucket. Now add your soap mixture and stir. Now add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir. Let the soap sit for about 24 hours and it will gel. Wisk it to break up the chuncks and store in old laundry soap containers or juice/milk jugs. You use ½ cup per load.
**A few things to note about the soap**
~The finished soap will not be a solid gel. It will be more of a watery gel that has been accurately described as an "egg noodle soup" look.
~The soap is a low sudsing soap. So if you don’t see suds, that is ok. Suds are not what does the cleaning, it is the ingredients in the soap.
~You will also need a small bucket, about 2 gallon size~
Grate the soap and put it in a sauce pan. Add 6 cups water and heat it until the soap melts. Add the essential oil, washing soda and the borax and stir until it is dissolved. Remove from heat. Pour 4 cups hot water into the bucket. Now add your soap mixture and stir. Now add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir. Let the soap sit for about 24 hours and it will gel. Wisk it to break up the chuncks and store in old laundry soap containers or juice/milk jugs. You use ½ cup per load.
**A few things to note about the soap**
~The finished soap will not be a solid gel. It will be more of a watery gel that has been accurately described as an "egg noodle soup" look.
~The soap is a low sudsing soap. So if you don’t see suds, that is ok. Suds are not what does the cleaning, it is the ingredients in the soap.
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