May 31, 2010

Thank You to those who have given the ultimate sacrifice

Today is Memorial Day in the United States, when we remember the men and women who died while in the military service. Though most of us (including me) spend it with family and friends at backyard barbeques, it's meant to be a day of remembrance. As I told my boys this morning, it's a day when we remember those who died so that we can live free.

In that vein, I encourage you to donate to one of my favorite charities, the USO. They do a lot for those who serve, especially overseas, and especially in combat zones. I particularly like Operation Phone Home, because all of the donations go directly to purchasing phone cards for service members. You can donate to Operation Phone Home or other specific programs here.

Note: I'll be taking the rest of the day off to spend time with my family, but I'll be back tomorrow with some deals and thoughts.

May 27, 2010

Becoming a Flybaby again

A few years ago, I turned to FlyLady.net to help me keep my house clean, but then I got pregnant and was pretty much incapacitated by morning sickness. I never got back on track with the FlyLady system. But I never stopped receiving the emails either.

Lately, I've been wanting to keep a cleaner house. The house is okay but not great, and I feel like the kids are old enough now that I can do more. But it's hard to get started.

Enter FlyLady. In my previous incarnation as a Flybaby (as she calls her followers), I had pretty good success. My biggest complaint was the number of emails she sends out every day, so I took someone's suggestion and subscribed to the daily digest email instead - now I get one email that contains all of the previous day's emails, keeping my inbox clutter-free.

I haven't adopted the FlyLady system as a whole. But I love the concept that you can clean your house 15 minutes at a time. Just having that mindset again has me keeping the house as a whole cleaner, and I'm constantly thinking of how to make the house less cluttered and easier to clean - whether it's getting rid of things or simply moving them around.

If you've been struggling to keep your house clean, I highly encourage checking out FlyLady for some ideas and inspiration.

May 26, 2010

Deal Alert: Buy this DS game for $10.99, Get $10 + $5 Amazon credits

I don't usually post individual deals but since Amazon has a tendency to changes prices while you blink, I figured I'd get this out there immediately:

Buy the Nintendo DS game Glory of Heracles,which gets 4 out of 5 stars in five reviews, for $10.99. With your purchase, you'll receive a promotional code for $10 off a future video game purchase, and a promotional code for $5 worth of Amazon mp3 downloads (one $5 code per customer during qualifying period). Assuming you make the most of the promotional codes and get free shipping (via Amazon Prime or Free Super Saver Shipping), the deal is a $4.01 moneymaker! I don't think I've ever seen that for a video game.

Disclosure: I'm an Amazon affiliate, so any purchase you make after entering Amazon through a link on Chief Family Officer supports this site at no additional cost to you. Thank you!

May 25, 2010

CFO Redux: Don't Forget Those Emergency Diaper Bags

Today we're revisiting a post from three years ago - I wish I could remember why I needed the emergency diaper bag, but it's probably a good sign that I can't!

This post is a friendly reminder to keep emergency diaper bags in your cars and to keep them well-stocked and up to date.

As you might guess, this post is inspired by a recent incident in which my emergency diaper bag came in handy. Fortunately, there were plenty of size 5 diapers and wipes, which is what I needed. But I also found size 1 diapers for Tyler in there (and he's been in size 3's for a couple of months now!) and Alex's emergency outfit was a couple of sizes two small.

The lesson: Update all diaper bags regularly.

As for when to update the bags, do it when your child changes diaper or clothes sizes. But don't just swap out the diapers or clothes - take the time to make sure the wipes are still wet, that you haven't taken out a blanket without replacing it, etc.

A few tips:
  • Put a real package of diaper wipes in the bag, not one of those Especially for Baby cases that everyone has in their regular diaper bag because the wipes will dry out. A Kirkland brand package of wipes from Costco would work well. I buy boxes of Huggies wipes from Babies R Us that contain two large refill bags of wipes. I put bags that are about half full into a zip top bag and put that in the emergency diaper bag - the wipes stay nice and moist that way.
  • Disposable changing pads for beds like theseare larger than the disposable changing pads for baby, and cheaper too.
  • Sunscreen is a must, for the times when you make an unplanned trip to the park or you forget to apply it at home. I like these convenient towelettes.
  • Don't forget to add a nonperishable snack. Small bags of Goldfish, pretzels, or animal crackers would also work well.
  • I always have a couple of blankets in the diaper bags (a good use for receiving blankets once your child is no longer an infant). They come in handy when it gets colder than you expected.
  • Finally, consider keeping the clothes in the diaper bag a size or two bigger than what your child currently wears. Because you might not remember to update the diaper bag after all . . .

May 21, 2010

A Few Random Thoughts

I have a few random thoughts to share as we start off the weekend . . .

  • Kindergarten seems like a huge milestone. I’m trying to act casual about it so as not to freak out my boys, but on the inside, I’m a wreck. Intellectually, I know that everything will be fine - kids go off to school all the time. But talk about a major transition, not to mention my having to let go of my baby (sob!).

  • I’ve now cooked two boxes of Ronzoni Healthy Harvest and both times they’ve come out gummy. Maybe I’ve seriously overcooked them, but I don’t think so. The Smart Taste variety comes out just fine, and so do other whole wheat pastas.

  • Maybe the best thing about couponing is being able to easily share with others. The husband of one of my friends lost his job, and I know my friend really doesn’t want to shop the way I do, even though money is tight. I totally understand that what I do isn’t for everyone, but I’m happy to share the fruits of my labor. A couple of weeks ago, I took over three bags full of toiletries, food, and paper goods that I’d probably paid less than $10 for and yet were worth a couple of hundred retail. I love being able to do that!
  • May 20, 2010

    Confession: I Haven't Been Menu Planning

    I've talked often about menu planning, but I've also admitted that it goes in cycles with me - and lately, I've completely gotten away from it. I can't remember the last time I planned my menu.

    Things have been okay anyway, but Moneywise Moms mentioned yesterday that participating in a weekly menu planning meme helps her stay on track, and her post reminded me of the many benefits of menu planning: saving money, reducing stress, more variety, less waste, and more.

    So, I'm going back to planning out my menu, but with a focus on easy, fast dinners. Side note: I only plan dinners, since breakfast is usually cereal, toast or oatmeal, and lunch is usually leftovers or a quick sandwich.

    The weather here has been a bit weird - it got warm for a while, and then this week it's been cool again. It even rained a couple of times, which is downright bizarre. But the farmer's markets should be looking good, so I can get some fresh, in-season produce because I also want to make our meals with less meat. I've been reading Mark Bittman's blog, and that along with his article in a recent issue of Cooking Light has me convinced that I should at least try to downsize the amount of meat in our diet. There's no better time for such an experiment than when fresh produce is bountiful and delicious.

    May 17, 2010

    Frugal Kitchen Tip: Freeze leftover juice

    My boys drink milk and water but not that much juice. Weird, I know, but unless it's "special" juice like Naked Juice or even Capri Sun, they usually opt for milk or water over, say, apple juice. That's okay with me, but it often leaves me with a half-bottle of apple juice that's getting old.

    I don't know why this never occurred to me before, and maybe you already do it since CFO readers are pretty frugal and savvy. But I had to get the idea from the September 2009 issue of Parents magazine:
    If you have leftover juice, freeze it in cube trays. When you want diluted juice, just add some cubes to water.

    Brilliant!

    May 11, 2010

    Update on my New Year's Resolution: End of April

    Back in January, I shared my financial resolution for this year, which is to save a crazy amount of money to create a large cash cushion. I promised a monthly update, and I’m happy to report that we saved 9% of our goal last month, and have now saved over 29% of our total goal. We’re actually a little bit behind, because 33% of the year has gone by – but I’m pleased to be so close to that mark, considering how much of a stretch our goal actually is.

    How we did it:

  • As always, the biggest part of our savings came from paying ourselves first. The consistency of this monthly savings is the single biggest factor in our success.

  • We put our tax refund into savings. I do everything I can think of to reduce our tax liability, including participating in my employer’s flexible spending account and making tax-deductible charitable donations. This year, we had to pay extra tax to the state but got back about twice that from the feds, so the difference went into savings. It can be tempting to spend unexpected money like refunds, but I find that they’re an easy way to boost savings if you can resist the temptation

  • We snowflaked extra income into savings. This includes money I earned through Swag Bucks (when they had their PayPal sale), MySurvey, and Instant Cash Sweepstakes.

  • Also, I’ve adjusted the way I manage our money a bit so it’s easier to keep track of our spending and saving. I’ll write more about that in an upcoming post as part of the Ways to Make & Save Money series.

  • Looking ahead, my blog income tends to dip in the summer, so if you could spread the word about CFO to your friends and help me grow the blog, I’d greatly appreciate it. Thank you!

    May 10, 2010

    Ways to Make & Save Money #14: Take Advantage of Rebates

    Every Monday, I share a way to make and/or save money, as I strive to achieve my New Year's Resolution of banking a large sum of money by year's end. You can read the rest of the series here.

    Up until about two years ago, the only rebates I bothered with were for new cell phones and big appliances. But then I discovered that you can actually make money if you shop smart and send in for rebates.

    For example, last fall, you could request a booklet from Kraft/Nabisco that contained not just coupons but a couple of rebate forms. One of the rebates was for a $20 check if you sent in receipts showing the purchase of 10 participating Nabisco cookies and/or crackers, 5 participating Kraft drinks, and 5 Kraft Mac & Cheese cups. Purchases had to be made between January 1 and June 30 of this year.

    Back in February, Ralphs had good deals on Capri Sun and Kraft Mac & Cheese cups, and I bought some of both. (Thanks to Stephanie Carnes for the recommendation to get the Roaring Waters variety of Capri Sun for T-ball snack!) I realized that my purchases would match up well with the rebate, and that I was likely to purchase 10 boxes of cookies and crackers before the end of June since they're often cheap with coupon and sale.

    I finished up my purchases over the weekend, and sent in for the $20 rebate. I spent about $15 on these groceries, and will get $20 back. And that's $15 I would have spent anyway, just because I got deals on the items. So that $20 check, when it arrives, will go straight into savings.

    The SC Johnson rebate (pdf) that's valid through June 30 is another great example. You buy 3 qualifying products and get $5 back. The number of participating products is huge, so you can easily find 3 products that are very cheap, and then submit for the $5 rebate. For example, at Vons/Pavilions/Safeway stores this week, you can buy a box of Ziploc bags for 69 cents after the in-ad coupon and 40 cents/1 coupon in the 3/21 SS. Buy 3 for $2.07 + tax + 44 cents for the stamp, and get $5 back. You actually make money for buying something you probably would have bought anyway.

    You can find out about rebates the same way you find out about other shopping deals - I list the big ones here at CFO, and you can find them at various deal blogs and forums as well. I think it's a good idea to set some parameters, especially if you're constrained for time. I generally don't submit for rebates less than $5. And if you're going to want to follow up on a rebate if you don't get it in a timely fashion, you'll want some way to organize your submissions so you can keep track of them. Just remember that rebates usually take 6 to 8 weeks for processing.

    Keep an eye out for rebates in the late summer - back to school seems to be a popular time for high-value rebates.

    May 8, 2010

    Happy Mother's Day!

    I'm going to take the rest of the weekend off to fully enjoy my Mother's Day, but I'll leave you with a couple of questions since I've been wondering:

    Do you like the weekly drugstore deals?

    What about the starter drugstore deals?

    As I seek to simplify my (blogging) life, I am trying to figure out which posts give you, as a reader, the most value - so thank you for your input!

    May 6, 2010

    Heads Up: Gillette Fusion ProGlide Giveaway tomorrow

    I just wanted to give you a heads up that tomorrow at noon Pacific time, I'll post a widget that will give the first 100 CFO readers Gillette's newest Fusion razor, the ProGlide, for free :D

    May 4, 2010

    Kitchen Tip: Use a 4-cup measuring cup as a mixing bowl

    A few months ago, I bought myself a 4-cup Pyrex measuring cup like this one,although mine didn't come with a lid. It's made my life in the kitchen so much easier.

    When I'm making waffles, I need two cups of milk. Using the 4-cup measuring cup means I can combine all of my liquid ingredients in the cup - I just measure out the milk first, then add the eggs, butter, and vanilla right into the measuring cup, stir with a fork or whisk, and pour the whole thing into the dry ingredients.

    When I'm making artisan bread, I measure out all three cups of water at once. And I've made the recipe enough times to know that I can microwave the water for 1 1/2 minutes to get it to the right temperature for the yeast.

    I just wish I'd gotten a 4-cup measuring cup sooner!

    May 3, 2010

    Ways to Make & Save Money Update: MySurvey Redemption Changes

    Every Monday, I share a way to make and/or save money, as I strive to achieve my New Year's Resolution of banking a large sum of money by year's end. You can read the rest of the series here.

    A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about MySurvey.com as a legitimate survey company that pays reliably. But right around the same time that I published that post, they changed their rewards, so I want to share this update.

    The bad news: Your MySurvey points are worth a about 10% less.

    The good news: You have more rewards to choose from.

    I always used to redeem my points for cash, with 1,000 points being worth a $10 check. Now, a $10 check will cost 1,150 points. However, you now have the option of requesting your payment via PayPal, and that’ll be 1,100 points for a $10 deposit.

    And that’s the new benchmark: 1,100 points for $10.

    For 1,100 points, you can pick from a large variety of $10 gift cards and electronic gift certificates, including Amazon, iTunes, Zappos, CVS and assorted restaurants. Incrementally, there are some $15 gift cards/certificates at 1,650 points and $25 gift cards/certificates at 2,750 points.

    However, if you want to maximize your points, your best bet appears to be any check that’s $20 or more. Update: I just discovered there's a $1.50 processing fee for each check, which makes PayPal or a gift card a better value. For some reason (and for the time being, since this may change at any time), the $20 check is 2,150 points, the $30 check is 3,150 points, the $40 check is 4,150 points, the $50 check is 5,150, the $75 check is 7,650 points, and the $100 check is 10,150 points. Meanwhile, the highest PayPal payment offered is $20 at 2,200 points, and the gift cards/certificates seem to all be based on a 1,100 points = $10 value.

    MySurvey continues to offer tangible prizes, like iPods and even a Niman Ranch half ham. However, as is almost always the case, the value isn’t as good as cash or a gift card/certificate.

    Personally, while I’m disappointed with this change/devaluation of the points, it’s not too significant, given that MySurvey is a legitimate survey company that pays reliably. I will continue to fill out surveys for them, and continue striving toward my goal for this year.