Living Large on a Low Budget

Coupon Divas

2012-01-29T17:15:00.000-08:00

For anyone serious about using coupons and saving money, you have to find a good coupon site. I wanted to share my favorite one with you it's called Coupon Divas. This is a really COOL coupon site. I love Coupon Divas because unlike some of the others the site is neat, organized and very easy to navigate. Not only that but it has a wealth of information for both the seasoned coupon user and the newbie who is just getting started. They have links to all of the major coupon inserts (same ones that come in sunday papers but you can print them from home on your computer) right on the site for you. Also, if you are serious about using coupons, it takes some planning and preparation. Coupon Divas do some of the work for you buy doing coupon match-up's each week for several different stores. Just click on the tab of the store you shop at and you instantly know what you can use coupons for and Coupon Divas tell you the source of the coupon, whether it was in an insert or a coupon that is available in the store, etc... This can help you a great deal when planning your shopping trip!

They even have an up to date coupon database for any time you need a coupon for something. Just go and do a search and it will list any available coupons for your item to help save you money. Talk about a huge help! The coupon database and weekly coupon match-up's are truly indispensable. They even have a tab where you can go get free printable coupons from retailers online like Bath and Body Works, Hobby Lobby, etc. They even have a list of all restaurants you can go to where kids eat free. That's pretty nifty!

If you are new to using coupons, click on the "Getting Started" tab on the home page at Coupon Divas. It's a great introduction and tells you everything you need to know to get started using coupons.

Go on over and have a look.... I think you may be impressed. Don't get bogged down trying to plan your coupon usage for your grocery store trip all by yourself. Let them do some of the work for you :0)

Go to Coupon Divas

Free Jewelry, Free Software, Free Stuff Etc....

2012-01-27T17:50:00.000-08:00

Free stuff sites! Keep on reading.. you might be amazed :0)

Free samples and other free stuff :
freebeezndealz.com and shop4freebies.com - Both of these sites offer an updated list of the lastest free samples and other stuff. Today we downloaded a free game for my son's Leapster from the first site listed and it works great and he loves it! Both of these sites are liget so be sure to check them out often and see if they have something you are interested in. Sign up for any samples you want and they will send them right to your mail box... Got to hurry and get it though because free samples are usually limited.

Free Jewelry:
Yep, that's right... free jewelry. There is one small catch. You have to pay for Shipping and handling but it's not high. The jewelry is high quality gemstone and .925 stamped sterling silver... Why are they giving it away free? It is to help promote their promote their brand. As you know, jewelry is such a competitive market so this is their way of getting that competitive edge and also a good way to introduce their pieces. Get it at silverjewelryclub.com

Free Home Schooling Books:
For you parents out there who home school.. you can go to homeschoolfreebieoftheday.com and get one FREE study book per day in very interesting topics. Go have a look!

Free Computer Software
Giveawayoftheday.com gives away one free licensed software per day. This is good and popular software that would otherwise have to be purchased. The software is offered free for promotional purposes.

Fantastic Wall Decor and Crafts from Toilet Paper Rolls

2012-01-24T11:11:00.000-08:00

@ Growing Up Creative

You may or may not be the crafty type but I just couldn't help but share this round-up of toilet paper roll crafts. Yes, that's right... you can make beautiful home decor and cute crafts out of toilet paper rolls!! Go here for more photos plus tutorials:

Clever Crafts from Toilet Paper Rolls

P.S. Start saving those toilet paper rolls!!

Items on Clearance at Kohl's!!

2012-01-22T13:21:00.000-08:00

I was looking around for some online clearance specials and thought I would share what I found:

Right now Kohl's has lots of great items on clearance........... Go SEE!

I also found some items on clearance at HSN here.

Happy Shopping :0)

Liquid Laundery Detergent Recipe

2012-01-20T11:35:00.000-08:00

liquid laundry soap recipe @ icanteachmychild.com

I use liquid laundry detergent so I was looking to find a good replacement recipe should I decide to make it and I ran across this wonderful page sharing a recipe for liquid detergent which costs basically 1 cent per load!! That is pretty amazing... another thing is it's the same recipe the Duggar's use so it's gotta be good , right! Go to see the recipe at I can teach my child.

Oxy Clean Recipe

2012-01-19T16:36:00.000-08:00

photo belongs to go_greener_oz via Flickr

Okay....calling all you girls who love Oxy Clean! I've found a Oxy Clean recipe on Tip Junki via Nancy.. You can see the tutorial at Nancy's Arts, Crafts and Favorites :)

Get Stuff Completely FREE- No strings... Truely Free Stuff!

2012-01-10T14:03:00.000-08:00

font by Kevin and Amanda

I want to share with you two resources where you can get stuff completely free... yes, that's right! Truly and completely free stuff like furniture, clothes, shoes, appliances, etc... All completely free.

The first place is Craigslist in the FREE section. More than likely there is a Craigslist in your area. Go check it out.

The other place is Freecycle- there should be one in your area. Go there and sign up to be on the email list. Offers for free stuff will come in your email.

That's it for now.... I will update as I find more resources. I hope you will find these useful!!

Living Frugal-Holiday Decor Tips

2012-01-09T10:47:00.000-08:00

photo belongs to moonsetsky via Flickr

With Christmas over now and all of the clearance items in the stores, it's a good time to go out and get some great stuff super cheap that you can use for upcoming years. I found this web post about making the most of holiday decorations. They had small pink Christmas trees at WalMart this year.. If you found one of these on clearance it could double as a cute little Valentine's tree- use the one tree for two holidays. I think there are some really great tips here that can help us all who are trying to live the frugal way.

Go to ThriftyFun for these useful tips!

101 Ways to Save Money

2012-01-06T13:28:00.000-08:00

I found this blog and it has TONS of tips on how to save money on just about anything you can imagine. I couldn't resist passing it along.

101 Ways to Save Money

DIY Budget Wall Art

2012-01-06T12:21:00.000-08:00

diy wall art @ Casa Cullen

I found this blog today and LOVE how they took a old frame that cost a few bucks at Goodwill and turned it into the beautiful art you see on the right. This is the kind of stuff I LOVE!! Go to Casa Cullen to see the lovely blog and the easy and illustrated instructions for this beautiful wall art.

Free Valentine's Day Gift Tags and Frugal Gift Ideas

2012-01-02T14:56:00.000-08:00

Since this blog is about saving money, I will offer freebies here anytime I possibly can.. Valentine's Day is coming so I made some cute printable gift tags you may want to print and use. Getting anyone a Valentine's Day gift this year?

Just double click the image to bring it full size and then save to your computer and open in any image program and print! Make sure you print it full size.

Once you have your gift tags printed, why not check out this page of links for DIY Valentine's Day gift ideas!

Easy and Cute Handmade Valentine's Day Gift Tutorials

Budget Christmas Decor Ideas

2011-12-31T11:00:00.000-08:00

photo belongs to Sarah_Ackerman via Flickr

Here are some inexpensive ways to decorate your home for Christmas...

Enjoy!

Budget Christmas Decorating Ideas

DIY Bath and Beauty Recipes

2011-12-31T10:36:00.000-08:00

lemon salt scrub from Noble Pig

Save money by making your own bath and beauty recipes like facial scrubs, foot soaks and things like that. Here is a link to the one above plus 15 more recipes! You can make them for yourself or make some and package them up pretty to give as gifts! Go have a look:

Homemade Bath and Beauty Recipes

Save Money Shopping Online

2011-12-30T11:33:00.000-08:00

photo belongs to luigi diamanti

There are many advantages to doing your shopping online. One of the main advantages is saving money. It's actually cheaper to do your shopping online if you know the resources. Here is a link to an article to help explain the advantages and what you can do to get the best bargains.

Advantages of Shopping Online

How to Recycle Old Crayons into New Crayons!

2011-12-29T11:32:00.000-08:00

Save money and make your own crayons out of old broken crayons you already have. Did you know that you can take all those broken crayons and make them into nice brand new ones again? You can and it's super easy to do!!! All you need is some old broken crayons and an old muffin pan. There are other options explained in the tutorial below. Don't miss this one.. it's super easy and a good way to recycle those old crayons into new pretty crayons even in different shapes!

How to make New Crayons out of Old Crayons

DIY Gift Bows

2011-12-26T10:53:00.000-08:00

Handmade Gift Bows

Save money by making your own gift bows. They are very easy to make and look just like the store bought ones!! Go to the tutorial below to see a tutorial for 3 different kinds of gift bows!

Handmade Gift Bows Tutorial

Best Free Printable Coupon Sites

2011-12-23T20:48:00.000-08:00

Photo belongs to Lomo-Cam via Flickr

You can print coupons right off the internet with your printer but it's hard to know where to go to get the best ones. Luckily, I have a great source to help you out. Click on the link below for a list of the best free printable coupon sites!

Best Free Printable Coupon Sites

Extreme Couponing!

2011-12-22T16:48:00.000-08:00

Have you seen the show 'Extreme Couponers' on TLC yet? It really blew my mind that you can save THAT much money using coupons but obviously it is completely possible. To learn more about it go to:

Save Serious Cash: Secrets of Couponing

Frugal Home Decor Ideas plus Shopping Tips

2011-12-17T10:12:00.000-08:00

Photo belongs to Bellafaye/Flickr

Let's face it.. we all want a nicely decorated home environment. It is important to feel at home and cozy in your own place. Unfortunately, as we all know, home decor can be very expensive. There are ways to achieve that certain look you want for the interior. By purchasing from Goodwill and other thrift stores, you can get some very inexpensive pieces that are actually very nice. Look beyond the dull exterior... there are ways to fix things up and make them look brand new!

Click here to see a comprehensive list of home decor ideas plus tips on how to get the most for your money and where to shop and find the best home decor bargains plus even places you can get things for FREE!