Start the New Year off right!

This is a post I have been meaning to write all week - but I was spending time with my hubby and daughter - which was soooo worth it!

Now it is the end of the year/beginning of the year and we have all made some resolutions to help us be the best we can be in 2016. 




Lauren and Mark Greutman (from I Am THAT Lady) are offering a FREE 4 video series on restructuring your financial lives called The Financial Renovation. Here are the details on the 4 videos:

• Friday January 1st - HOW TO START A BUDGET
• Monday January 4th - HOW TO STICK TO A BUDGET WHEN THEY HAVE FAILED IN PAST
• Thursday January 7th - A COMPLETE FINANCIAL BLUEPRINT FOR 2016
• Monday January 11th - WHY NOW IS THE TIME TO START  

Head on over to her website and sign up for this free video series!  This free e-course is for you if:

• You want to learn how to budget and stick to it.
• You want to save more money on your bills.
• You want to learn how to get your spouse on board with your finances.
• You feel like you are stuck and don’t know where to turn.
• You want to get out of debt.
• or… you just want a refresher on your financial health.
• I will also give you an opportunity to go much deeper into learning how to get financial freedom in 2016.

I know that after you watch these videos you will want to sign up for her continuing 7-week video course.  She is offering some great bonuses in the 7-week course. But don't wait until February to start thinking about this.  These videos are only available until January 11th and the 7-week course is only available until January 15th!

Lauren was also on the TODAY show this morning sharing some of her favorite tips.

Both Lauren and Mark amazing people, whom I have had the pleasure of meeting a few times.  Lauren has also created these amazing $150 Aldi meal plans!  Following her over the years has helped us pay off some of the bills we had from Dan and helped us find some good deals for Shelby.


*Affiliate disclosure:  I may receive compensation if you click on the links in this post.

How we have a happy and successful life

This post is part of the New American Dream Blog Tour which I am delighted to be a part of along with hundreds of inspiring bloggers. To learn more and join us, Click Here

Last week I wrote about finding what you think is a happy and successful life.  This week I am writing about our happy and successful life.

Everyone has a different definition of being happy and successful.  I initially thought being happy and successful meant working 40-50 hours a week and making lots of money.  My perspective changed when I got married and had kids.

Is your life happy and successful?

This post is part of the New American Dream Blog Tour which I am delighted to be a part of along with hundreds of inspiring bloggers. To learn more and join us, Click Here


Everyone has a different definition of a happy and successful life.  Is it working 40 hours a week?  Is it being a stay at home parent?  Is it being able to purchase a new car?  Is it being able to pay all your bills on time?

Take a minute and think about what makes your life happy and successful.  Then continue ready below.

I've been couponing for quite some time and have had some wonderful successes.  You can see my posts here and  here.

We are currently spending about $100-$125 a week on groceries for 2 adults and a toddler. But I am always looking for better ways to save money.   Just last week I called and cut my cable bill by about $30 a month!

And TODAY (8/19/14), Crystal Paine from Money Saving Mom is re-launching Grocery University!  She will have special pricing beginning at 5am Central Time!

Are you tired of spending so much on groceries?

You don’t have to bust your budget to feed your family! Enter Grocery University: a 2 hour, 19 minute audio course that will teach you everything you need to know about making the most of your grocery budget, regardless of whether you’re new to bargain shopping or have been a super-shopper for years.

Who couldn't use a few extra dollars?

My mother cut grocery coupons when I was younger. I learned the basics from watching her. I've always couponed to an extent, but I really kicked it up a notch when Dan started getting sick and we needed to dedicate dollars to doctor visits.

Occassionally I have posted a few of my amazing grocery trips. See here and here for two. I wouldn't be able to do that good without some help from some of the great coupon bloggers in my area.

One of my favorite bloggers, and someone I would also consider a friend, has published an e-book on how to coupon. Lauren Gruetman (from I am THAT Lady) has published her first e-book, How to Coupon Effectively. At $8.97, it is a great deal if you want to learn couponing basics.

Everything she talks about in her book she has done. She slashed her grocery budget from $1000 a month to $200 a month to help her and her husband get out of debt and allow her to be a stay-at-home mom.

In the book she talks about 7 important things:
1. How to avoid the #1 mistake most people make when using coupons.
2. Why Coupon? The hourly wage way of thinking about couponing.
3. Where to find Coupons. Learn how to get coupons for free!
4. The best digital coupons. Discover the best 6 money saving apps.
5. How to organize your coupons. The best 4 ways to organize your coupons to save more money.
6. How to Create a Successful Grocery Budget. Simple tips to set a grocery budget that you can actually stick to.
7. Meal Planning Strategy. How to meal plan around sales and coupons to help you save 50% or more off your grocery budget.

A few quotes from the book:

"Almost everyone who starts couponing does so with the goal to save money, but many don’t know where to start or how to do it effectively. Couponing is a learned skill, and it takes time to master it. It takes practice to establish an effective routine that works for you
and your family."

"One common misconception about couponing is that you have to have a lot of free time in order to save a lot of money. This simply isn’t true. You decide how much time you want to devote to it. You can spend 45 minutes per week or 10 hours per week – it’s all about developing a system that works around your schedule. In this book, I aim to teach you how to do this in two hours or less and I know that by following my simple tips you will see success no matter how much time to put into it."

The book is about 40 pages and easy to read and understand. Lauren provides some great practical tips and plenty of space to make notes. She also gives you lots of options to contact her to ask questions. She doesn't get into the deep details of couponing, but how to start to make the most of your time.

You don't need any special gadgets or anything to read the book. You can download the book immediately or wait for the email link. I saved my copy to my computer so I can look back at it at any time. Even for me, someone who isn't an "extreme" couponer, but does fairly well, found something new in her book.

A Change in Attitude

Last fall I was given the opportunity to read a preview copy of Say Goodbye to Survival Mode: 9 Simple Strategies to Stress Less, Sleep More, and Restore Your Passion for Life by Crystal Paine, the woman behind Money Saving Mom.  I also wrote about her 7-Day Challenge during the winter.  And every week in my 5 for Five post, I reference her SMART goal setting.

But the book is really about approaching your life with a different attitude.  And until Saturday May 10, you can get the Kindle book for only $2.99!

Easter is Almost Here!

For me, Easter is the beginning of Spring. Yes, I know the calendar said it was spring a few weeks ago, but here in the Northeast, that doesn't mean much when we can still get cold and snow.

But Easter is usually in mid-April. And by then most (if not all of the snow) is gone, and the weather is starting to warm up. We can open the windows and sit outside. Some of the early season flowers are starting to grow. So for me Easter means spring.

It's Tax Time!

You hear this old saying alot this time of year:

there is nothing certain except death and taxes

There are less than 2 weeks left to file your income tax returns for this year.

Fancy Dress Season

This is a compensated sponsored post. All opinions are my own.

With spring time around the corner, so is prom season. I was lucky enough to be able to go to my high school prom. I remember going from store to store with my mom to find "the" dress for me. Now I hear about schools sending kids to a few select stores and "registering" your dress so you don't wind up wearing the same dress as someone else.

Here is a picture of my prom dress. This is pure 80's style, hair and all.

Well, there is a solution to finding "your" dress and not wearing the same one as someone else, and you don't have to worry about "registering" your dress with some store. You can go to www.jenjenhouse.com and browse for that specific prom dress that is for you. To find the prom dresses, click Special Occasion Dresses and then Prom Dresses. But you aren't limited to prom dresses either.

I think this is the dress that is closest to what I had many years ago. What do you think?

I know Shelby has about 16 years to go before she will be attending a prom. And I know the styles will change quite a bit between now and then. I hope that she will let me help her pick out her dress. Looking online at websites like JenJenHouse will help her find her style. With so many styles, colors, lengths, and fabrics to choose from, I'm sure she can find something she likes.

But if she wants to go store to store, that is fine too. If she is like me, she will have to try on lots of dresses to find one that actually fits her.

We can even purchase a shawl or cape and her accessories and shoes from this website. This is truly a one-stop-shopping website!