It’s never to late too learn good frugal habits and turn yourself from a money waster into a frugal saver!  Our complete frugal makeover will show you how to reset your financial situation as well as changing your attitudes about money.

Is your bank account overdrawn and your debt piling up?  Do you feel helpless but know that you need to turn around your finances?  Maybe you’re at the end of the line and about to start losing your assets because of poor money management.  Do your kids think money grows on trees and demand the latest gadgets?

If you’ve been a poor steward of your finances so far, take heart in knowing that it’s never to late to learn the basics.  The rules of frugal money saving are simple.  

Reset the Way You Think About Saving Money

If the problem with saving money is in your mind, you’ll need to reset your thinking about spending.  Saving money isn’t for cheap or poor people.  Saving money is for everyone!  Some things to remember:

1. Saving money is cool.
2. Having a great life for less shows that you’re smart and care about your financial future.
3. Finding the best deals and bargains can be like a game for your family.
4. Saving money lets you help others when they need it the most.
5. Spend TIME on people to show them love – don’t spend MONEY on people to show you love them.
6. Teaching your kids to save up money for something teaches them to value money and hard work, and to respect their parents who provide for them.

Say goodbye to buying things that cost a lot that show your status to other people. (Think expensive cars, high end brand names of clothes, shoes, accessories, etc.)  If you are reading this article, it shows that you care enough about your finances to get them into healthy shape instead of putting on a show with money you don’t really have. 

Say goodbye to conveniences that cost a lot.  Instead, I’ll show you below how to substitute time savers that save you money as well.

Transform Yourself from a Money Waster into a Frugal Money Saver

First of all, subscribe to Home Ever After for free to get money saving frugal tips sent to you daily.  Next, subscribe to And Freebies For All for free to get freebies and coupons sent to you.  Then, print out this article and circle the items below that you can commit to making changes within your life.

Won’t My Family Be Mad?

If you’ve been a big spender for a long time, you may be worried that your children, husband, or wife might not like the new frugal plans you’re putting into action.  Saving money does take the participation of the whole family, after all.  They might feel like they’re going to be giving up a lot of the things they like unless you show them that being frugal doesn’t mean missing out.  You can still do fun activities and have nice things without spending top dollar.

It is time to be real with your kids and let them know that spending changes ARE going to happen in your family.  How much info you choose to share with them about the financial situation is up to you.  Older kids can handle more details, and will also be more committed to being part of the solution. 

As the parent, you set the tone for how they’ll feel about being frugal.  If you’re excited, they will be too.  If you are acting sad, depressed, or complaining about saving money, they will too.

Here is a great way to get kids involved with frugal money saving:  Make a money savings chart and hang it on the refrigerator.  Whenever you save on something, fill in the amount you saved (e.g. Getting a $20 DVD for $2 at a garage sale – fill in $18 of savings).  At the end of the chart should be an item the family is saving for (e.g. paying off the car, going on a camping trip, saving to buy a new game, etc.)  Attaching a tangible item to your savings efforts can give kids and incentive to get involved and help the family save money.

Making the Switch From Spender to Saver

Did you see a trend when reading that list of 20 frugal money saving methods?  We’re not talking about little tricks here and there.  I’m asking you to identify the ways you spend money, and always think about if there is a cheaper way FIRST.  If there is a free or less expensive way to meet the same need, do it!

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”  (Matthew 6:19-21)  Our consumer culture teaches us that we need to earn more to buy more to be a better, more complete person.  This simply isn’t true.  When we die, we certainly won’t take those brand name clothes with us! 

Saving money on unimportant things means you’ll have more money to use for helping others.  Whether you help by giving to your church, donating to charities, donating extra food you got on coupon deals to a local food bank, or helping people in need with your time or knowledge, this change of mentality will lead you to do great things. 

Always put the focus on people and time first, then things and money second. 

This transformation is one that will affect not only your bank account, but also the quality of your relationships, your family time, your priorities, and your outlook on life.  Congratulations on starting your frugal money savings makeover!     

Transform Yourself from a Money Waster into a Money Saver – A Complete Frugal Makeover is an article from Home Ever After.
Copyright 2007-2009 HomeEverAfter.com by Danelle Ice/IS World Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction of content in this feed is prohibited.

Shortly after the birth of my newborn, I realized how much energy it takes to be as frugal as I normally am.  If you’re new to the frugal lifestyle, you can learn how to get started with frugal living here.  However, if you’re an old pro at all things thrifty, you know it takes a considerable amount of time to:

• Research the grocery store fliers and plan your shopping trips.
• Find, print, and clip coupons.
• Create and maintain a pantry system that lets you use up the oldest food first.
• Cook healthy meals from scratch.
• Keep leftovers properly stored and labeled so they get eaten instead of thrown away. (Find out my secret for how to use up refrigerator leftovers.)
• Watch clearance sales for kids’ clothes and have a good storage system in place for keeping clothes to be grown into.  Here’s my guide to buying cheap kids’ clothes on clearance.
• Train your kids about and keep on them to conserve energy in your house.
• Use cloth diapers to save on disposable diaper costs.
• Make homemade baby food.
• Hit thrift stores and garage sales to look for things you need before buying them retail.

… the list goes on and on.  Who knew it took so much energy to be hardcore frugal?!  My frugal savings dropped dramatically during the end of my pregnancy and post-delivery.  Now, I’m slowly getting back on the frugal wagon with one thing at a time.  If you’ve lost your way, you can get back on the right track too!

Sometimes life interferes with the best frugal plans and other things just have to come first.  A few perfect examples are getting sleep for a new mom or quick cooking for time when you’re packing for vacation.  No matter how much or how little energy you have, you can manage to be as frugal as you have time for.  Next, read As Frugal as You Want to Be. 

“Who Knew it Took Energy to Be Frugal?” is linked to Frugal Fridays.

Who Knew It Took Energy to Be Frugal? is an article from Home Ever After.
Copyright 2007-2009 HomeEverAfter.com by Danelle Ice/IS World Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction of content in this feed is prohibited.

If you love getting things for free, especially free movie rentals, we’ve got some free Redbox DVD rental promo codes just for you!  This is a perfect way to have a quality family movie night and still keep things easy on the budget.

When planning to use these free DVD rental Redbox promo codes, keep in mind that not all codes work all the time or at all Redbox machines.  As far as we know, these codes are working as of March 11, 2010.  If an expiration date isn’t listed with the code,  we don’t know for sure how long it will work.  If you have codes that we don’t have listed, please leave them in the comments section below and we’ll add them.

Redbox Promo Codes for Any Location

• DVDONME (Valid as of 3/11/10)
• BREAKROOM (Valid as of 3/11/10)

Redbox Promo Codes for Specific Locations

• DVDATWAG (works at Walgreens only – valid as of 3/11/10)
• NEW! 2FRZ25N3 (works at Giant Eagle only – valid as of 3/11/10)

Possibly Expired Redbox Promo Codes

• REDBOX (new customers only – unknown as of 1/18/10)
• N3WY3AR (Added 1/18/10)
• 3HY2VE27 (Added 1/18/10)
• 8HY2VE24 (Added 1/18/10)
• V6NTN34 (works at Meijers stores only – unknown as of 1/18/10)
• DLLNS26 (Added 11/23/09)
• 84MARS3 (Added 11/23/09)
• 7CMEJR9 (Added 11/23/09)
• 2ZXV7MM DISCOVER CARD (Added 11/23/09)
• RBX2NITE
• ACME25
• SNSV25
• JEWL25
• WALMART
• BREAKDOWN
• 84MAR3
• RBXLUV10
• GANTS9

Expired Redbox Promo Codes

• Expired – RBXLUV4U (Expired 3/1/10)
• Expired – 5HY9V24 (Removed 1/18/10)
• Expired – 4J7LF6 (Removed 12/23/09)
• Expired – MMM325 (Removed 11/24/09)
• Expired – QNGJ7KD (Removed 11/20/09)
• Expired – WALGREENS (Walgreens only – Removed 11/21/09)
• Expired – TEGJ6FD (Removed 11/10/09)
• Expired – FM63H7 (Removed 11/1/09)
• Expired – 27HZ4KT (Removed 8/3/09)
• Expired – 9HB6MP22
• Expired – J45VHM3
• Expired - GPHCKKQ
• Expired - PM25XDH
• Expired - SHPNSVE2
• Expired – OPRAH30
• Expired – 7ELEVEN (works at 7 Eleven stores only) 
• Expired – 36CHEXMX (works at Martins Food only)
• Expired - SOUP6, CHEXMX36 (works at Giant Food only)
• Expired - OPNSEASN2 (works at Giant Eagle only)
• Expired - 6SOUP (works at Stop & Shop only)
• Expired - MCDWNTR (works at McDonalds Redbox only)
• Expired - MCDWIC29 (works at McDonalds in Kansas only)

Current Free DVD Rental Redbox Promo Codes is an article from Home Ever After.
Copyright 2007-2009 HomeEverAfter.com by Danelle Ice/IS World Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction of content in this feed is prohibited.

I wrote a short article over at And Freebies For All today about frugality that I wanted to share.  It’s called As Frugal as You Want to Be, and talks about how your frugal levels and efforts can change as your life changes.  It gets tempting to get down on yourself or compare yourself to other frugal moms and dads, and that’s just not productive.  It can actually hurt your frugal efforts and your overall satisfaction with life when you are discouraged! 

Here are a few lines from the article:

“Your frugality is personal and you’ll never be the same as anyone else, so give yourself a break and stop comparing!  Even when it seems that all the other frugal bloggers are making everything homemade (homemade bread, dishwashing detergent, baby food), I remember that not everyone can maintain the same level of frugality ALL the time.  It’s natural for things to go in waves, just like the natural rhythm of our everyday lives.”

Feel free to read the rest of the article As Frugal as You Want to Be and leave your words of wisdom in the comments.  Happy frugalizing!

This article is linked to Frugal Fridays.

Don’t Compare your Frugal Efforts to Others is an article from Home Ever After.
Copyright 2007-2009 HomeEverAfter.com by Danelle Ice/IS World Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction of content in this feed is prohibited.

Everyone wants to know extra ways to save money, frugal tips for stretching your dollars, and helpful hints for getting by in tough times.  There are so many money saving strategies available, and some of them are overlooked as “too small to make a difference”.  Well my friends, the small things add up to a lot when you are diligent and focused on saving money!

Today’s money saving tip is a collection of small, but very effective, frugal methods for cutting down on household and grocery expenses:  how to save money by getting almost everything for free, including freebies and free samples.

You’ll want to start thinking of freebies as items on a 100% off sale!  We’d all grab up as much as possible if this sale was at a store, wouldn’t we?

Everyone loves getting things for free, and freebies and free items require very little effort to get a HUGE return.  Below, I’ve compiled a strategic list of frugal ways to save money using freebies, free items, free samples, free software, free coupons, free magazines, etc.

How to Save Money by Getting (Almost) Everything for Free

• Get news of freebies and free items before everyone else.  And Freebies For All brings you the best money saving free samples and freebie alerts regularly.  We offer a free subscription to our updates, and we’ll send you the newest info as soon as it’s published.  This means you get our VIP alerts and can request free items before they run out.

Action: Get our freebies RSS feed or freebies email updates now.  Need more info?

• Request freebies and free samples at AndFreebiesForAll.com.  Daily we bring you the best lists of free samples and free items to request in the mail.  No shipping charges, no credit card numbers, no fees; you request, and companies send you free stuff in the mail. New ones come out all the time and don’t last long. Readers write me frequently asking, “Do you really get anything good?”  In response I wrote a post called Does Free Stuff Really Ever Come in the Mail?, in which I listed out and took pictures of about half of the free stuff I got in the mail for 6 weeks.

Action: View our freebies and free samples here and start requesting now.

• Pick up free food and other items at stores by combining our printable coupons with store sales. It’s time to get good at watching for store matchups, when you buy things for free by using a manufacturer coupon together with a store coupon or store sale.  In some cases, the store will even OWE YOU money (called overage)! 

Action:  Print out our newest printable grocery coupons weekly, or use our handy coupon printer in the right sidebar at And Freebies For All.

• Put away your full size products and replace them with samples.  You might laugh about this and think it sounds silly, but let me tell you that I didn’t buy toothpaste from the summer of 2008 to July 2009!  My family has been using up the free samples and toothpaste I “bought” for free at the grocery store all this time.  The fact is that if samples are out where your family will use them, they’ll get used up (instead of getting lost in a drawer or closet somewhere).  And using these free items means you’ll be buying products less frequently, saving you money in the process.  See how I replaced all shower items with free samples here.

Action: Once you start receiving freebies, put your full sized products in the pantry and replace them with samples. Once the samples are used, put the full sized bottles back.

• Get free magazines to score free coupons for other products.  Magazines often have valuable health, beauty, and grocery coupons inside.  But you don’t have to buy magazines to get them- just request our free magazine subscriptions to start receiving more magazines than you ever thought possible!

Action: Request free magazine subscriptions whenever they become available.

• Use free alternatives before buying ANYTHING.  I wrote about this before in Top 13 Free Things to Stop Paying For Now.  From toothbrushes to envelopes, there is so much free stuff available to us that we often take these things for granted.

Action: Make a list of current items you pay for, then brainstorm ways for getting the same things free.  Read our reminder list of free things to stop paying for.

• Get kids’ clothes and shoes for free by trading them on Swap Mamas. This free community allows you to post and trade just about anything – making it a great way to get all the kids’ items you’ll ever need for free (while getting rid of outgrown clothes yourself).  If you can’t find what you need there, check Craigslist for free clothes people are giving away.  Still no luck?  Read our tips for how to save 90% on kids clothes and get them nearly free.

Action: Create a free profile at Swap Mamas and start trading for free clothes and other items.

• Don’t pay to rent movies anymore – get them from Redbox for FREE or borrow from the library.   Redbox kiosks offer free new release movies constantly. There are free codes all the time, frequently for special events and holidays and some codes that are particular to certain stores.

Action: Visit AndFreebiesForAll.com regularly to get Redbox promo codes for free movie rentals.

• Cancel your cable and watch TV online.  YouTube and Hulu have made it ridiculous to pay for cable services.  Watch your favorite TV series online at those video sharing sites or directly from the networks’ sites (Fox on Demand, CBS, and more). 

Action: Call the cable company and cancel your subscription as soon as possible.

• Stop paying for long distance on your phone; switch to free voice over IP services like Skype.  Talk to anybody anywhere for free using your computer.  How could you justify paying the phone company for long distance now?!

Action: Cancel your long distance phone package (if you have one).

• Use free video conferencing on Windows Live Messenger.  Stop spending money to print and mail pictures, videos, and long letters to your relatives!  You might not have known that Live Messenger has free video conferencing built in right from your chat window, but it does.  Now Grandma and Grandpa can see and talk to the grandkids for free as often as they want, without spending an extra penny.

Action: Download Windows Live Messenger here for free.

In a recession, we’re all concerned about keeping our expenses as low as possible and finding all the ways to save money on household items.  Print out this list or bookmark this page and work your way through the frugal tips to get you on the road to saving money and getting almost everything for free!

Check out Frugal Friday at Life as Mom, Thrifty Thursdays at Amanda’s Cookin, and Super Saturday Savings at Money Saving Mom. “Oh yes it’s free” sign by koka_sexton. Originally published April 9, 2009.

How to Save Money by Getting Almost Everything for Free is an article from Home Ever After.
Copyright 2007-2009 HomeEverAfter.com by Danelle Ice/IS World Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction of content in this feed is prohibited.

Remember that new site we launched in August called And Freebies For All?  Teresa of Moms Who Save is now helping us crank out freebies over there for you!  It is packed with great frugal freebies this week (9/18/09). 

Here’s a sampling of all the free goodies, coupons and deals you can get right now.

Make sure you get our free offers as soon as they come out: subscribe to the freebies RSS or freebies email updates now – they’re both free!

Coupons

• Home Made Simple $35 Coupon Book
• Beauty Ticket 15% Off Coupon Code
• Eat Better America $13 Printable Grocery Coupons

Also remember to print out all of our printable grocery coupons in the red coupon printer on the right side of this page before you go grocery shopping.

Freebies

• Free Back to School Nestle Planning Calendar + $20 Coupons
• Free Potty Training Kit From Pampers Easy Ups
• 3 Free Photo Greeting Cards
• Free Fisher Price Geo Trax DVD
• Free Concerts Online
• Free Samples of Emergen-C Cherry Pomegranate Multivitamin

Free Magazines

• Free 1 Year Subscription to American Baby Magazine
• 2 Free Issues of Skiing Magazine
• Free 3 Year Subscription to Town & Country Magazine

Fantastic Frugal Freebies List! is an article from Home Ever After.
Copyright 2007-2009 HomeEverAfter.com by Danelle Ice/IS World Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction of content in this feed is prohibited.

While we can’t eliminate laundry from your list of necessary housework items, we can help you save money on laundry with these frugal laundry tips.

Laundry can be as expensive or as inexpensive as you want it to be, depending on what measures you take to cut the costs.  Not all tips are right for every family; just choose the ones you can work into your current system today and enjoy lower utility and laundry supply bills!

Here are 13 different ways to save on the cost of doing laundry, ranging from quick and easy to long-term solutions. 

13 Ways to Save Money on Laundry Costs

1. Buy Energy Star rated appliances.  That Energy Star emblem means they use less energy in a more efficient manner and will cost you less to  use.  When replacing old or worn out appliances, check first for the Energy Star on your replacement choices.

2. Cut dryer sheets in half.  One box lasts twice as long when you cut the sheets in half.  As soon as you open the box, break out the scissors and enjoy cutting your dryer sheet expenses by 50%!

3. Dilute laundry detergent in the bottle with water.  Save your empty laundry detergent bottles.  When you open a fresh one, pour half into the empty bottle.  You now have 2 bottles half full of detergent waiting to be filled with water.  You can fill water all the way to the top or 2/3 full, depending on the savings you want.  Diluted detergent will get your clothing just as clean, and if you’re used to filling the cap (or your family members are), this trick will save you.  Most of us use more detergent than recommended or necessary anyway.

4. Use less detergent and liquid fabric softener.  Are you strong enough to skip the diluting and just use less?  More power to you!

5. Clean the lint trap before every load of laundry.  A clean lint trap lets your dryer work more efficiently and dry clothes faster.  Spend the extra 20 seconds and empty it before you start the dryer.  Plus, a clean lint trap cuts down the risk of a dryer fire – how about that! 

6. Line dry your clothes.  String up a line, buy some cheap wooden clothes pins, and you’re in business.  Zero energy use and it costs exactly $0 to use.

7. Create a hybrid drying routine.  Maybe you don’t like line drying because of the possible clothing stiffness.  Maybe you can’t use a clothesline because of space limitations, like living in an apartment with no yard.  If you can’t convert wholly to the clothesline method for whatever reason, create a hybrid routine that still has you using your electric dryer, but only half as much.  Hang items to dry over shower curtain rods, hang from ceiling fans, or clotheslines for part of the time, dryer for the rest.  Get soft clothes with half the energy use.

8. Do less laundry. Wear jeans more than once, use bath towels more than once.  Sweaters and jackets can also be worn more than once if you wear them layered with a shirt underneath.  Make sure you hang up clothes that can be worn again so that they’re not washed by mistake.

9. Double up 1/2 loads of laundry and only dry full loads.  Put your half load of washed whites in the dryer and let them wait until your next half load is complete.  Dry as one full load and cut the energy cost in half.

10. Dry loads back to back if possible to keep the dryer from heating up again (save time and energy).

11. Double spin clothes in the washer.  After your washing machine is done, turn the knob to “Spin only” and spin the clothes a second time.  The centrifugal motion (spinning) helps to get extra water out of the clothes, which in turn take less time to dry in the dryer.

12. Use vinegar in the wash instead of fabric softener (1/4 cup).  Smaller loads need smaller amounts, unless you want to smell vinegar on your clean clothes!  This cheap alternative to liquid fabric softener will save money on your laundry supply budget for certain.

13. Wash in the coldest temperature recommended for your clothes.  Save your water heater from firing up to heat the water when possible.  Cold wash temperatures will also help to preserve the fibers in the material of your clothing, meaning it won’t wear out as fast.

Frugal challenge:  Choose a few of these great money-saving frugal laundry tips today, and see how much you can drive down your laundry expenses!  Subscribe today to get more money-saving articles delivered to your for free.

Originally published June 26, 2008.  Photos courtesy of MorgueFile.

13 Ways to Save Money on Laundry Costs is an article from Home Ever After.
Copyright 2007-2009 HomeEverAfter.com by Danelle Ice/IS World Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction of content in this feed is prohibited.

Welcome to our summer series on Family Vacation Road Trip Planning with the best travel tips from a mom of four!  If you missed the last two family vacation articles, you can check them out here:

• Family Vacation Road Trip Planning: Departure Time
• Family Vacation Road Trip Planning: Kids’ Entertainment

Road Trip Breaks & Stops

Road trip bathroom break detours are inevitable, but you can decrease the number of times you need to pull over for food by packing a cooler before you leave. In addition to filling it with juice boxes, water, some sandwiches and the kids favorite snacks, you may want to add in a few specialty snacks that are normally off limits.

My children always follow a healthy diet and have come to appreciate the ‘vacation food’ they are allowed to eat whenever we travel. With that said, be careful not to overdo it. A car full of kids in sugar overload will definitely back fire.

Plan on stopping for one full meal during the road trip. If possible, opt for a nice rest area that offers outdoor space for the kids to run around and stretch their legs.  Making a detour from the highway is also a good idea if you are not pressed for time. Once off the main interstate you should be able to find a full service family restaurant where you can all unwind and enjoy a decent meal.

Hotels

If you will be making an overnight stop during the road trip, try to plan for it in advance. If you know you will be traveling for 30 hours and stopping halfway through, you can go online, map out your route and locate kid-friendly hotels along the way. Check availability the day before you leave and if there are ample rooms left then you can just wing it without a reservation. Otherwise, it may be a good idea to reserve a room in advance.

If possible, stay in a hotel that offers a pool for some midway relaxation and family fun time. If you can coordinate your arrival to be around dinner time, you may all be able to enjoy a nice swim after dinner, a good night’s sleep and a nice breakfast before you hit the road.

Try to take advantage of specialty perks offered by hotels to attract families, such as kids stay free, kids eat free and free continental breakfast. This is a great money saver and if planned correctly, can even serve as a little mini-vacation before the vacation!

What are your best tips for breaks and stops during family vacation road trips? Let us know in the comments below!

Family Friday: Time to Share!

Now it’s time for you to share your Family Friday post with the rest of us!  If you’re not sure how it works, read the directions and guidelines for Family Friday.

Please add your family-related blog post below in the Mr. Linky. Remember, you MUST link your post back to HomeEverAfter.com. (If your link was deleted, email us.)

Family Friday- Family Vacation Road Trip Planning: Breaks & Stops is an article from Home Ever After.
Copyright 2007-2009 HomeEverAfter.com by Danelle Ice/IS World Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction of content in this feed is prohibited.

Welcome to our new series, Family Vacation Road Trip Planning!  If you missed last week’s installment, Family Vacation Road Trip Planning: Departure Time, go read it first.  Over the next few weeks, you’ll get tried and true tips for planning the best family vacation road trip from a mom of 4.

Road Trip Kid Entertainment

I can not begin to stress the importance of investing in a portable DVD player if your vehicle is not equipped with one. These can be a lifesaver during road trips.

If you are one of those parents that does not believe in overexposure to movies, a road trip may be the time to bend the rules and make an exception. Bring a few favorite movies from home and if possible, rent some new ones that your kids haven’t seen, so they’ll keep their attention.

After rest stop play breaks, sleeping and DVD movies, there will still be idle time during a long distance road trip. It’s a good idea to fill an individual backpack for each child. Stuff it full of their favorite activities: handheld games, coloring books and crayons, stickers, toys, activity sets, etc.

If your budget allows, invest in a few new items to present to them just as they begin to reach meltdown status. With a quick trip to the dollar store you can stock up on a bunch of items to keep them entertained for under $20. Using your discretion, dispense items at different times throughout the trip. I-spy, name games and just about any activity that involves the entire family is great for keeping kids engaged and happy.

What are your favorite ways to keep kids entertained in the car during family vacation road trips? Let us know in the comments below!

Family Friday: Time to Share!

Now it’s time for you to share your Family Friday post with the rest of us!  If you’re not sure how it works, read the directions and guidelines for Family Friday here.

Please add your family-related blog post below in the Mr. Linky. Remember, you MUST link your post back to HomeEverAfter.com. (If your link was deleted, email us.)

Family Vacation Road Trip Planning: Kids’ Entertainment is an article from Home Ever After.
Copyright 2007-2009 HomeEverAfter.com by Danelle Ice/IS World Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction of content in this feed is prohibited.

Welcome to our new series, Family Vacation Road Trip Planning!  Over the next few weeks, you’ll get tried and true tips for planning the best family vacation road trip from a mom of 4.

Road trips are the preferred way to travel for most families. The average family takes one or more road trips every year. Some parents welcome a road trip as quality family time, while others view it as a necessary evil to travel from one place to another!

If you take the latter position, there is a good chance that you may find your road trip more enjoyable if you follow some of the travel tips  in our family vacation road trip planning series.

Departure Time

Regardless of how far away the destination is, the goal in planning a successful road trip is to limit the amount of ‘restless’ time in the car. Children have short attention spans and get fidgety rather quickly. Activities and movies are great, but kids anxiously awaiting the arrival of their vacation will grow weary of novelties rather quickly.

For long distance road trips, it is best to leave at a time that allows for maximum sleep time for the children. Some parents like to get up before dawn and be on the highway when the sun comes up.

My personal preference on long distance road trips is to go to bed early the night before and set the alarm for 2 a.m. Packing the car full of comatose children is easier than it sounds. My children can be carried directly from bed to car without a hitch.

In the event that they do start to come to, they will be groggy and once you hit the road, the car ride should send them back to their zombie-like state. While you may be tired for the first day of your tip, it may be worth the trade off to be to make it halfway to your destination before having to stop for breakfast. Don’t forget to pack their own pillows and blankets too. 

What are your best road trip tips? Let us know in the comments below.

Family Friday: Time to Share!

Now it’s time for you to share your Family Friday post with the rest of us!  If you’re not sure how it works, read the directions and guidelines for Family Friday here.

Please add your family-related blog post below in the Mr. Linky. Remember, you MUST link your post back to HomeEverAfter.com. (If your link was deleted, email us.)

Family Vacation Road Trip Planning: Departure Time is an article from Home Ever After.
Copyright 2007-2009 HomeEverAfter.com by Danelle Ice/IS World Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction of content in this feed is prohibited.

Garage sale shopping is one of the best ways to buy what you need at a fraction of the price you’d pay at stores.  Now that garage sale season is beginning, we’re sharing the best tips and tricks for not only garage sale shopping, but having profitable garage sales as well.

We found a fantastic tool called Garage Sales Tracker.  This site is a place where you can list your garage sales along with detailed listings and pictures of items you’re selling.

Shoppers:  Use Garage Sales Tracker to Find Yard Sales

• Driving directions are provided by Google maps so that you can print out a map of exactly how to get to the garage sales you choose.
• The “items for sale” filter lets you search for certain items.  If you’re looking for yard sales in Dallas, Texas selling baby clothes, you can narrow your search to find sales that have those items.
• They offer a way to contact the seller ahead of time to ask questions before you drive all the way to the garage sale.

Search for garage sales by zip code or city.  You can also search by dates, which is a priceless feature.  When looking in a local newspaper you’ll only find garage sales for the coming weekend.  But with Garage Sale Tracker you can see sales planned for the future, so you can look for sales to check out next weekend, or 4th of July weekend, or whenever you like!

Sellers:  Use Garage Sales Tracker to List Your Yard Sales

• List the days, times, and location of your yard sale for a flat fee of only $5.  The best part is that Garage Sales Tracker allows you to give 40% of your listing fee ($2) to the charity of your choice!
• Shoppers get free driving directions and maps to your sale so they won’t get lost.
• You can post pictures in your listing. This is great for big items, such as furniture, that people may want to see before arriving.
• You can post unlimited details about your sale.  List the types of items for sale, describe products, etc. to entice people to put your garage sale on their shopping route.

You’ll definitely want to spread the word about this helpful (and cheap) garage sale tool, since the more people are using it, the more helpful it will be!  Stay tuned for our other garage sales articles to help you have more profitable yard sales.

For more frugal tips and tools, check out Frugal Friday at Life as Mom.

Great Tool for Yard Sales: Garage Sales Tracker is an article from Home Ever After.
Copyright 2007-2009 HomeEverAfter.com by Danelle Ice/IS World Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction of content in this feed is prohibited.

As frugal parents, we all want to get great kids’ clothes while spending less money.  Planning ahead and buying kids’ clothes in advance is a thrifty way to get more for your money. 

We talked about how to save 90% off kids’ clothes by shopping thrift stores out of season last week.  To make this strategy work, you’ll have to make an estimate of what size your child will be wearing at a certain point in time.  Always guess a bigger size instead of smaller, and if the clothes happen to be a bit too big, they’ll be able to grow into them.

The store sales and clearance schedule below lists the best times and places to buy kids’ clothes for the best price.  “Do not buy” indicates when the clothes will be at their highest prices of the year.  Bookmark or print out this list for future reference.  To all you mommy bloggers- if you like this list and think it will be helpful to others, please link to it for your readers!  The permalink is:

http://www.homeeverafter.com/buying-cheap-kids-clothes-store-sales-clearance-schedule. Thank you for helping support this site!

Kids’ School Clothes 

Buy long-sleeved shirts, jeans, pants, sweaters and other fall / winter type kids’ clothes in spring and summertime.  The best time to buy school clothes is April or May, when stores are trying to make room for summer clothes.

• Best time to buy at thrift stores: spring and summer.
• Do not buy: August or September.
• Retail store clearance time: April, May.

Halloween Costumes

For the best prices on kids’ Halloween costumes, look for them to appear at thrift stores all year round or at garage sales during the summer.  Consignment stores are a great source for cheap Halloween costumes as well.

• Best time to buy at thrift stores: November-August.
• Do not buy: September or October. 
• Retail store clearance time: November 1st-7th

Christmas Costumes and Themed Outfits

Retail stores start putting out cute kids’ Christmas outfits, like santa suits and elf costumes, around Thanksgiving time, but you’ll pay the highest prices possible if you buy them then and there.  eBay stores have super clearance sales on kids’ Christmas clothing the week after Christmas.

Winter photo by by fotologic.  Santa suit photo of Truett Ice-Simmons ©Danelle Ice/IS World Media.

Buying Cheap Kids Clothes: Store Sales and Clearance Schedule is an article from Home Ever After.
Copyright 2007-2009 HomeEverAfter.com by Danelle Ice/IS World Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction of content in this feed is prohibited.

Get all the great freebies and free samples listed below while they last.  Free items are important for us frugal homemakers because they let us cut our household budgets without giving up the little luxuries that make life so sweet.  We’re talking SWEET – *ahem* free Lindt chocolate truffles this week!  There’s tons more, just click the links below and signup for everything; it’s all free, just for homemakers like you!

Free Magazines

There are two separate free subscriptions to Sound & Vision magazine right now.  You can sign up for both of them if you like, just make sure you use the same mailing address for both.

• Free 1 year subscription to Elle magazine (from Mercury)
• Free 1 year subscription to Sound & Vision magazine (from Mercury)
• Free 1 year subscription to Sound & Vision magazine (from Rewards Gold)

Free Movies

Today’s Redbox promo code for a free DVD movie rental is 2GR4N8. It expires at midnight, CST. Enjoy a free movie night on Redbox!

Have you heard about Redbox March Movie Madness with Free Movie Wednesdays?  In addition to releasing free movie codes every Monday, throughout the month of march Redbox will be releasing free movie rental promo codes every Wednesday as well.  Be sure to follow us on twitter to catch the latest Redbox codes as soon as they become available.

Free Samples

• Free samples of Aveda Shampoo (Black Malva Pure Plant) US ONLY
• Free samples of Grate Chef Grill Wipes (on hold- may reopen, so keep checking their site)
• Free samples of Aquafresh Extreme Clean toothpaste
• Free bra to try and review from the Oprah DevOtee Survey Panel

Free Items

• Free 3-pack Lindt truffles
• Free $1 off coupon for Cheer laundry detergent
• Free zebra print tote plus 20% off coupon for Vix Swimwear
• Free Always pads (directly from Always)
• Free Culturelle Probiotics Book plus $1 off printable coupon

Free Sample Luxuries: Redbox, Lindt Chocolates, Aveda & more is an article from Home Ever After.
Copyright 2007-2009 HomeEverAfter.com by Danelle Ice/IS World Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction of content in this feed is prohibited.

How to Save 90% on Kids Clothes

We’ve got a frugal tip today that will cut your budget for kids clothes by 90%.  Holy thrifty savings, batman!  We take thrift store shopping a step further and show frugal moms how to get the deep discounts that not many other people are finding. 

That’s right, if you normally spend $20 on a pair of jeans for your little one at the department store, we’ll cut the price down to $2.  Does it sound too good to be true?  Keep reading.

I’ll be writing about shopping for my daughter’s school clothes at the thrift store soon.  Call me frugal, but even second-hand prices seem high to me, especially for pants your child may be able to wear for only a few months before growing out of them.  There had to be a way to get better prices from the thrift store, I thought.  That’s when I came up with this tip that changed my kids’ clothing buying for the rest of my life.

Buy Kids Clothes at Thrift Stores Out of Season

The big secret to thrift store shopping is to outsmart their pricing strategy.  Even at thrift stores, the pricing is designed to mark prices higher on items that are in demand.  A Batman Halloween costume for your little tyke might cost $8 at Goodwill during October, but if you found it there in April?  You’d probably pay a dollar for the same costume!

Knowing the price strategy of thrift stores is key to deciding when to shop for which items.  At back to school time, the “school clothes” (long sleeve tops, sweaters) will be at their highest prices of the entire year.  Jeans and winter coats will be marked up significantly, because the store knows you need them, and your only alternative is to pay an even higher price at a retail store.

You will have a large selection of clothes to choose from at thrift stores when shopping out of season.  Think about it – when do you donate your kids old summer clothes?  Most likely in the winter time when decluttering boxes of old summer clothes!  People always donate things when they are not likely to be used, and for clothes, this means at the wrong time of year.  Since thrift stores know that you are not likely to buy summer shorts in the dead of winter, you can normally pick them up for about 50 cents.

By using this handy tip to shop for a summer wardrobe of shorts, tanks and swimsuits in the middle of winter, you’ll be able to pick up kids clothes for up to 90% off retail prices.  Check out our thrift store buying schedule next week, with the optimal times to buy all types of clothes and other items for the best savings.  If you like, we’ll send you new articles for free so you don’t miss it.

Check out Frugal Friday for more great tips. Unique thrift store photo by back_garage. Summer kids photo ©IS WorldMedia 2009.

Frugal Tip: How to Save 90% on Kids Clothes is an article from Home Ever After.
Copyright 2007-2009 HomeEverAfter.com by Danelle Ice/IS World Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction of content in this feed is prohibited.

We’ve got a ton of free samples for you this week, including free music downloads, free games, free movie rentals, free magazine subscriptions, shampoo, baby formula, perfume and more.  Don’t forget that freebies and free samples make great fillers for gift baskets, so request everything even if you won’t use it yourself!

Free music download The Parlor Mob – Hard Times (Walmart).

Free music downloads: In The Car MP3 (Amazon)

Free game download The Big Kahuna (Amazon)

Free DVD movie rental from Redbox with the Monday Redbox promo code F3T9L6. Expires 3/9/09 at midnight CST. Happy family movie night!  Catch us on Twitter  for Monday and Wednesday Redbox codes.

Free Step into Spring Gift Pack from Right at Home.

Free Magazines Subscriptions

• Free subscription to Elle Decor magazine – 1 year
• Free subscription to Tennis magazine (Mercury) – 1 year
• Free subscription to Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology magazine – 1 year
• Free subscription to The Trail Rider magazine (horseback riding) – 1 year

Free Samples

• Free samples of Parent’s Choice baby formula (Walmart).
• Free samples of Sun Crystals sweetener, made with Stevia.
• Free samples of Ziploc fresh shield bags (Costco).
• Free samples of non-medicated NicoDerm CQ with $7 coupon, for those of you who want to quit smoking.
• Free samples of Dove shampoo and conditioner
• Free samples of OB Mighty Small tampons with case
• Free samples of Scents of Nature perfume
• Free samples of Pristine Skin Care

Free Baby Formula, Music, Games, Samples, and Horse Magazines is an article from Home Ever After.
Copyright 2007-2009 HomeEverAfter.com by Danelle Ice/IS World Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction of content in this feed is prohibited.