I have recently found a great group on Facebook that actually allowed our family to have an extremely frugal Christmas! I want to share it with all of you, so that hopefully it will benefit you, whether you are in search of a particular item, or are looking to earn some cash selling some of your belongings.

It is called Beg, Barter, Buy & Sell in Cypress,TX. This group is made up of primarily Cypress residents who list things they have for sale or trade. You can also list things you are searching for, which is how I found a very cool Transformers toy for my son for Christmas without having to pay an arm and a leg for it!

I have been able to sell a lot of items in the group which also helped fund several Christmas purchases. Our Christmas was almost paid for by sales I made in the group! How cool is that? I won't have any credit card bills to pay off next year because of Christmas overspending! (But you may remember that my husband and I don't use credit cards any more and we have paid off all of our credit card debt!) This has been a great way to stick to our goals of not using credit cards to pay for things.

I think we'll see a lot of great things coming across the page now that Christmas is over and people are making room for all of their new gifts, so it would be a great time to check out the page!

There is also a group for Kid stuff, Multiples, Antiques, and other specific categories, as well as other areas of town so there's something out there for everyone.

Note: As with any personal sales transaction, within this group or Craigslist, please think about your safety. I always meet in a busy public location for transactions and do not give out personal information on the group's main page such as telephone numbers, addresses and when you will or will not be home!

In case you wait until the last minute to buy candy, here's a great coupon you can print to score some cheap candy!

Go HERE and print your $1.50/1 bag of MARS candy! Most places have their candy for $1.99-2.49 per bag right now, so using this coupon will make for a "sweet" deal!

Use zip code 99218 if you don't see this coupon available to print. Also, don't forget that you can print two coupons per computer!

Papa Murphy's has a brand new location in Cypress, TX, and today (10/25) they are running a great special for their Facebook Fans!  

Go here to 'like' Papa Murphy's Cypress TX page (not necessary to get the deal, but a great way to hear about special offers)- and please let them know that Simply Cy-Fair sent you! (Don't forget to 'like' my page on Facebook as well - sometimes deals are only posted there.)

Today visit Papa Murphy's Cypress store and you can order up to FIVE Large 1-topping pizzas for only $5 each! Just tell the cashier that you are there for the "Fast Five Facebook Fan". What a great deal!

Their pizzas are assembled fresh upon order, and you take it home and bake it.  You can even call ahead and order so it's ready for you to pick up when you get there. You can also refrigerate the uncooked pizza at home for up to 24 hours before you bake it, so plan ahead! Go HERE for coupons and to sign up for their eClub where you get special offers emailed right to you.

This week is going to be C-R-A-Z-Y for my family so I am definitely going to use Papa Murphy's to ease my dinner stress this week!

Have you ever been to an estate sale? I went to my first one recently. I can’t believe I haven’t been going every weekend!

My mom turned me onto this site EstateSales.net. You can search by your zip code to find upcoming estate sales in your area. The last time she was in town, we found one that was not too far away and got there early on the first day of the sale. I definitely recommend arriving early for the good stuff.

Here are the great finds we came across! I found a Food Saver with a set of unopened canisters, two marinators and an unopened box bags for only $25 (retail $229), a George Foreman grill for only $12 (retail $50), and a Starbucks French press coffee maker for only $6 (retail $29.99)! The Food Saver will continue to save me money because I can seal meats, cheeses, and other foods in a vacuum-sealed bag and it will prevent my food from going bad so quickly. Food waste equals money waste!

Have you ever been to an estate sale? What kind of great deal did you find there? Please leave a comment and let us know!

I recently read an interesting article (found here) about the backlash consumers are facing because of the new TV show Extreme Couponing. While I have experienced this first-hand, I think the most important point of the article is that they point out some good do's and don'ts of couponing. If couponers will stick to these, we'll be better off in the end.

Here are some of them as listed in the article as well as a few of my own thoughts in italics:

Do Know Your Limits. Save time, energy and embarrassment at the register by playing with the rules established by retailers and manufacturers. Visit their Web sites to learn if there have been any updates or changes to their coupon policies. I have compiled a list of some retailers' coupon policies. I recommend printing these and keeping them with your coupons so that you will have the policy if issues arise.

Do Ask Friends and Neighbors to Leave Aside Papers. Some people actually subscribe to newspapers for the articles, not the coupons. It's perfectly acceptable to ask these friends and family members -- politely -- to set aside the coupons for you to pick up at a later time.

Do Start a Small Coupon Swap. Rather than stealing your neighbor's Sunday paper to benefit from the extra coupon circular, create a support system through a small, local coupon exchange. Members can meet once a week in person for 30 minutes to exchange coupons for things they actually would buy anyway. (One person's buy-one-get-one-free instant oatmeal is another person's 50-cents-off cold cereal.) Online exchanges also exist at savingsadvice.com and thriftyfun.com.

Don't Copy Coupons. Many stores mention in their coupon policies that "coupons are void if copied, scanned, transferred, purchased, sold " etc. Again, stick with the official policy. You'll still manage to save a good chunk of change -- and by skipping a long debate at the checkout, you'll also avoid unnecessary delays both for you and the shoppers waiting behind you. This restriction is printed directly on most manufacturer coupons. Please do not copy coupons - it hurts all of us in the end!

Do Ask Manufacturers to Send Coupons Directly. If you can't find manufacturers' coupons readily on their Web sites, email or call them to request coupons be sent directly to your inbox. That's what many successful couponers claim to do. It sometimes earns them freebies, as well. Don't forget that social media outlets are a great place to find high-value coupons and free product coupons!

 What are your thoughts about how Extreme Couponing has affected real-life couponers? Have you personally experienced any backlash in the stores when trying to use coupons? I would love to hear your experiences and stories!

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What do you do when an emergency expense comes up? Do you rely on your credit card or do you have a savings account that you can use?

When my husband and I decided we were going to cut up all of our credit cards, we knew this was something we had to take care of… an emergency fund. Since there would no longer be that plastic money tree to run to, we had to have a plan!

We immediately began saving for our emergency fund. To start, that fund needed to be $1,000. This is just about enough to take care of any foreseeable needs. When we are debt free (except the house), we will stock up this fund to be at least six months of our living expenses (not six months of salary, but expenses). This will be a great cushion if anything happens like job loss, illness, injury, etc. Ideally, I’d like to have at least one year’s worth of expenses saved up.

This is a recommendation we learned about through Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace program. In his program, the emergency fund is Baby Step One and helps you not have to rely on credit when an emergency arises during your debt pay down.

I can vouch for this step, as we just had an emergency repair that was needed on our vehicle. The expense was right around $1,000 (ugh) but I am SO glad we had it! We did not have to run to a credit card to get us through! What a feeling of freedom it was to not have to add debt to our lives in order to take care of car repairs. Now, we will have to replenish the emergency fund before we pay additional payments towards any other debt (all we have left are student loans, yea!), but that’s okay. At least we can feel confident in the fact that we didn’t have to borrow any more money. Yippee!

Do you have an emergency fund? Does this sound like something that would benefit your family?

Check out this article from Dave Ramsey on How To Build An Emergency Fund Fast!

There are a lot of ways to save money on things you buy, but here are my favorite places to save without even having to use coupons. Of course, some of these places offer even better deals when paired with coupons, but my hope is that I can help you start saving on everyday purchases without having to use coupons. I have linked to websites directly so that you can find them easily. You can bookmark them as well for easy access later!

Amazon.com– Amazon has Gold Box Deals where they slash prices for a limited time on certain items, but is also great for movies, kitchen appliances,  photography equipment,  some groceries, and diapers! Plus, if you’re a mom or student, you can join their Prime program which gets you free 2-day shipping on most items!

Walmart  – I like their price matching policy because it makes shopping more convenient for me. I can use all of my grocery store flyers to find the deals I like and Walmart will match the competitor’s ad (same brand/size). Also, their coupon policy was rewritten recently making it very coupon-friendly.  Target  is also offering a low-price guarantee, and will match prices and even refund the difference to you if you find a lower price within 7 days of your purchase. Exclusions apply.

Ebates.com  – If you’re shopping online, you can shop through this site to get cash back on your purchases. I’ve received a couple of checks from them. Every little bit helps.

Clearance sections – Find the clearance section(s) of the stores you frequent. You will often find great deals here on discontinued, dented, or out-of-season merchandise. But don’t be fooled by a red sticker! It doesn’t guarantee a great deal. I’ve seen stores mark things down by a few cents and call it clearance… don’t fall for it!

Facebook – There are great coupons issued through Facebook. Companies are utilizing this social media outlet to distribute high-value coupons and give-aways. Some companies are also using Twitter to distribute sales and discount information.

Daily Deal sites – These have become very popular recently. Sites like Groupon, LivingSocial, and The Houston Chronicle Daily Deals offers deals for entertainment, restaurants, and spas for at least 50% off. For kids clothes, shoes and toys I love Zulily and Totsy. For the Home, Men’s and Women’s Fashion – nomorerack, Rue La La and One Kings Lane have some great deals. For high-end, name brand items check out Beyond the Rack.

Swag Bucks – Earn points for internet searches. The phrase you always here today is “Google it”, but I use Swag Bucks instead of Google so I can earn points. I use these points to get Amazon.com gift certificates! I mentioned Amazon earlier, so it’s like a good deal on top of a good deal!

 What are your favorite places to find deals? Please share them here so we can all benefit!

Mother's Day is quickly approaching and it seems that most families like to take Mom out to lunch or dinner to give her a break from cooking. So, I thought I could help you treat Mom to a nice dinner without breaking the bank.

Top 10 Ways to Save When Dining Out 

Set a budget before you go – Know what you can spend before you go and stick to it. I always scan the menu for all of the options available under a certain price, then shop from those.

Share a meal or save half for a second meal – Not only is this a good choice for your waitsline, but also for your wallet. You’re saving half right off the top! Restaurant portions are often 2-3 times the amount of a healthy portion. Share a meal with your dining companion or box up the other half for a yummy lunch at the office the following day.

Order adult meal for kids to share – You will often get more food for much less. Now that children’s meals are running around $5. Sharing a $10 adult meal, I can typically feed my three little ones, and they get more than enough to eat.

Order water – Drinks can significantly increase your dining bill with soda/tea running upwards of $3.

Kids Eat Free – Many restaurants offer one day when kids can eat free with the purchase of an adult meal. This can save a family a lot when dining out.

Home mailers – Magazines, coupon mailers, and flyers can be a great source for coupons and special offers to local restaurants.

Online - Check the restaurant’s website for special offers before you go.

Email - Sign up for your favorite restaurants’ email lists. You will often receive coupons, free birthday meals, and special offers.

Facebook – Local and national restaurants have jumped on the social media wagon to offer special fan-only deals when you follow them

Restaurant.com – You can buy $25 gift certificates for $10 or less, giving you a significant discount on your dining experience.

Earth Day is April 22nd. Even if you’ve never thought about celebrating Earth Day, did you realize that ‘going green’ could save you money? Here are some ideas on how to save the earth and save your cash.

10 Ways to Go Green and Save Money:

1. Carpool – Cy-Fair area offers Park & Ride bus service to downtown or you could find a work buddy to share a ride. Save on gas and wear and tear on your vehicle.
2. Buy Used or Freecycle  - CyFair Free Recycle is a Yahoo group you can join to help keep things out of the landfill. It provides a network for you to give away things you no longer need and also get things that you do need for free. Craigslist is also a great place to buy used items, sell your used items, give away or get items for free, or even barter/trade items.
3. Recycle your old electronics – Your old cell phones, laptops, and  could be worth some cash and some parts are toxic if thrown in the landfill
4. Reuse and repurpose household items. I’ve been known to wash and reuse plastic baggies and your plastic grocery bags are great for small trash cans or disposing of dirty diapers. I also save on grocery bags by recycling through our curb recycling program.
5. Utilize online banking – get your bills and statements electronically to save on paper waste and pay your bills online – you save on stamps!
6. Grow your own vegetable garden and/or raise your own chickens for eggs.
7. Make your own household cleaners, dishwasher detergent and laundry detergent.
8. Compost – turn your food scraps into nutrient-rich compost for your garden and flower beds. Save on fertilizer and trash bags.
9. Use cloth diapers – While the initial cost may be startling, you will actually save money in the long run and won’t be throwing all those diapers in the landfill.
10. Conserve water and electricity – if you’re conscious of how you’re utilizing your utilities you can lower your bills by using less. Check out my electricity money-saving tips here.

How do you save money by going green? I would love to hear your tips!

The summer months are approaching and we are already getting a taste of the warm weather here in Cy-Fair. And with that weather comes higher electricity bills!

Everyday things you can do to save on electricity include:

1. Turn on a fan before you turn down the A/C. Fans use a while lot less energy and can make you feel a few degrees cooler almost instantly! Just remember to turn the fan off when you leave the room. While it makes you feel cooler, it doesn’t actually cool the room.

2. Keep the sun out.  Keep your blinds closed when the sunlight is coming in directly, use insulated window treatments that are now available, or put UV sunscreens or window film on your windows to block the heat.

3. Do chores during cooler times of the day. Running appliances (washer/dryer, vacuum, etc) produces heat. Do your chores first thing in the morning or later in the evening when you’re a/C unit doesn’t have to compensate for the extra heat.

4. Keep filters clean. Keep fresh filters in your a/c units so they’re not working overtime to cool your home.

5. Cook outside when possible.  Keep the heat outside so you’re not paying to cool the inside. You don’t have to eat outside, but it could make for some great family picnics!

And a few bigger things you can do to save over time:

1.  Get an energy audit. This is a great idea because it will point out your biggest energy wasters. You should then have a plan of attack to correct any energy wasters in your home and hopefully have them corrected before the dead heat of summer gets here.

2. Seal leaks. Your precious conditioned air could be seeping out of places you don’t even know of, like your chimney flue, around doors and windows, and even your electrical outlets.

3. Install programmable thermostats. These allow you to set thermostat higher while you’re away and program to cool when you’ll be home.

6. Equip your attic. Believe it or not, in the sixth grade, my science fair project was called “Attics: Keep ‘em Cool”. There are definitely significant energy reductions to be had when proper insulation, radiant barrier and ridge vents are installed in your attic. Also, if you’re having a new roof installed, try to choose the lightest color shingle for your home. It helps!

7.  Shop electricity providers. Here in Texas we have options when it comes to electricity providers. Use sites like www.electricitytexas.com and shop for the best rate and program for you.