Shelley Elmblad's Blog
Posted by Shelley Elmblad
Coupons have helped me to stick to my budget for years, and if I have a high-value coupon on something that is on sale, I have to restrain myself from doing a happy dance right in the store aisle. Yes, I get that excited about saving so I can stick to my budget!
Is clipping coupons worth your time? If you keep coupons organized, it probably is.
Lena Gott has some great ideas for getting coupons organized and finding the best deals in How to Save Money with Coupons. Add a price book to couponing to realize some substantial savings in your personal budget.
Posted by Shelley Elmblad
I'm finishing up my Christmas shopping, almost all of which I'm doing online on sites that offer free shipping, which is good for my budget. I found these deals so far and I'm passing them on to you so you do holiday shopping from home and stick to your budget.
Amazon.com 4-for-3 promotion:
- Buy any 4 eligible items and get the lowest-priced item free.
- Eligible products include select Books, CDs, DVDs, Single Copy Magazines, Home & Garden items, and Home Improvement tools.
- Find items eligible for Amazon.com 4-for-3 promotion
JCPenney Free Shipping and Discounts:
- Free shipping on orders of $49 or more. Use code STNICK. Ends December 17, 6 p.m.
- $15 off orders of $75 or more. Use code BBCURR7B. Ends January 11
- 30% off regular priced items, or 10% off sale items. Use code SANTA. Ends December 14.
HearthSong $4.99 Shipping:
- Hearthsong has a unique selection of toys and crafts.
- $4.99 shipping on orders over $50. Use code HS49. No end date given.
Target 10% Off:
- 10% off $50 or more, free shipping on most items. Use code TGTAFT7R.
LLBean Free Shipping, $10 Gift Card Offer
- Free shipping on orders.
- $10 gift card with every $50 purchase - see details.
Posted by Shelley Elmblad
FiveCentNickel.com has a great analysis of three methods of paying off debt. FiveCentNickel took a hypothetical couple with two credit card debts and a car loan, each with a different balance and interest rate, then posed the question, "Which debt should you pay off first?"
From there, Nickel compares three methods of debt reduction: Dave Ramsey's debt snowball, paying down the debt with highest interest rate first, or concentrating payments on the debt with the lowest ratio of outstanding balance to minimum amount due.
Normally, I would pay off the debt with the highest interest rate first, but I like I like how Nickel analyzed the alternatives and I'll refer back to his blog post, Dave Ramsey is Bad at Math then next time I need to decide which debt to pay off first. The post is from a couple of years ago, but the methodology never goes out of style.
For more debt-reduction ideas be sure to read Paying Credit Card Debt Creatively, where Felicia Williams discusses how to pay off debts sooner without paying a higher monthly amount. Great idea, Felicia!
Posted by Shelley Elmblad
Chances are good that you have some Thanksgiving turkey left overs in your freezer. If you don't, you need to get out and shop the sales for Christmas turkeys to save money by having left overs and an extra turkey or two in the freezer to enjoy later in the year.
My Healthy Cost-Cutter Turkey Soup is a simple, healthy recipe with directions for freezing some of the soup to further stretch your budget dollars. Vary the seasonings in the broth, add a splash of wine or use white and wild rice or barley in place of the pasta to make the soup a little differently each time you serve it.
In my house, no meal is complete without dessert, and this time of year we are topping off our delicious turkey soup meal with very easy and budget-conscious Christmas Pretzel Cookies. Yum!
The turkey soup recipe is a meal-stretcher because you get many meals from one main course. Can you share any meal-stretching recipes or ideas? Please post them in the Personal Budgeting Food Stretchers Discussion!
Posted by Shelley Elmblad
Have an IKEA store within tolerable driving distance? Go Christmas shopping at IKEA! Save scads of cash shopping at IKEA for Christmas ornaments, lights, Christmas trees and other low-cost holiday decorating. Also check out IKEA for low-cost, high quality holiday gifts like toys, dishes, candles, wall art and all kinds of quality, low-cost kitchen and bath paraphernalia.
I recently did some early Christmas shopping with friends at IKEA. My group arrived at IKEA before the merchandise floors were open, but IKEA's restaurant was open. I had a delicious cinnamon roll with a cup of coffee, with the coffee being free until 10:00 a.m. I noticed that IKEA's restaurant had some good healthy choices and the food prices were all ridiculously low. What a great way to start off this holiday shopping excursion.
I was confused about how to get between three floors with my large shopping cart until one of the IKEA staff showed me the cart escalator that moves between floors right next to the "people escalator". I put my cart on the escalator and held my breath, hoping it would stay upright - which it did!
The selection and variety IKEA offers for furniture and supplies for home and office is nothing short of amazing. There were even some toys, indoor plants, pet supplies, and packaged foods that made great Christmas and holiday gifts.
IKEA furniture is so inexpensive that I expected it to be flimsy or shaky, but everything I sat on or tried to shake was solid. Read more about IKEA and see how you can save money on Christmas shopping this year.
More Holiday Shopping Help
Frugal Toy Shopping for Christmas
Track Your Christmas Spending with Free Personal Finance Software
