Long Time No See

My sewing machine has made residence on my kitchen table again after months of being stuffed in the closet.

And what was my first project? Just some burp cloths I whipped up for a friend's new baby boy.

There is a lot more coming. I have been working on birthday presents and a pirate party is in the works. My crafty to do list is getting out of hand.

I fixed it!!!

I fixed all the links on the Queen Bee Market Inspiration Post. Go back and check it out and get some crafty ideas.

Messed up Links

My friend Bobbi, just emailed me and told me that none of my links worked on the Queen Bee Market Inspiration post. Sorry, I had no idea. I tried to fix it but am having troubles. So I will let you know when I get the links work.

Being Frugalicious

**I know a lot of words, little picture. If you would like to learn more about saving money on your shopping trips read on. Don't get overwhelmed! I hate wordy posts myself. Just so you know "The Weekly Tools" are only for Southern California. But I would think that you might be able to use them for stores like Rite Aid. Not sure though, you will have to compare your local prices. My extra tips are in green.

Over a year ago my friend Misty introduced me to shopping frugaliciously (is that a word?). I was already cutting coupons and shopping sales but Misty took it to a whole new level for me. She started up a program consisting of 3 databases to help make shopping more efficient and cost effective. I slowly started to use the program but to tell you the truth I wasn't sure if I loved it. It took some getting used to. But I love getting good deals and knowing when to stock up on items that had rock bottom prices.

When I started Misty was keeping up all of the databases on her own. She found it to be very time consuming so she asked friends to do a co-op where we split up the work and shared in the information. I have been doing this for several months. My job is to enter in Sunday's newspaper coupons. After splitting up the work I am not sure how Misty ever did it all by herself.

Since I started the co-op I have really applied myself and have been saving crazy amounts of money. I found that shopping drug stores really saves a ton of money. There have been countless times where a store is pretty much paying me to take a product out of their store. I love that. My food storage is going up and I am starting to have a hard time finding space for all my storage. In some instances I end up buying a nicer brand product because it is cheaper than the store brand. And I will tell you that I will never buy toothpaste, toothbrushes, or deodorant again because my stock is built up and you can often get good brands for free.

So why am I telling you all this? Well, today Misty is opening up the databases called "The Weekly Tools"to the public for FREE!!!! That's right ... FREE!

So if you have ever wanted to start using coupons or save money on your grocery budget this is the time to start.

Go to Frugalicious and check it out.

She has so many great resources and information that can be helpful even if you don't use the weekly tools.

To find out more and use the Weekly Tools click HERE.

Now don't get overwhelmed, but if you want to learn more about using coupons click HERE.
- When I get my coupons on Sunday I mark the date on them and put them in a three ring binder. No need to cut the coupons. The Weekly Tools tell you where to find the coupons when you need them.

Check out the Useful Downloads HERE.
-I like that what not to buy at a warehouse list.

You can also read more from a Press Release HERE.

Here are my tips if you are going to get started.

• Subscribe to a newspaper. If you are getting the newspaper for coupons get the LA Times over the Union Tribune. The Union Tribune only carries the Smart Source and Proctor and Gamble inserts, not the Red Plum coupon inserts. The LA Times carries all three so you will get more savings. I do prefer reading the UT over the LATimes. You can also compare prices at discountednewspapers.com. it is only sometimes cheaper using that site.
• It will take a couple of weeks to build up you coupons and really see some savings.
• Honestly there are some weeks where there are NO deals that interest me, just wait you will also have weeks where you have to go to 5 stores to get all the awesome deals.
• You don't have to go to multiple stores to see savings. I only go to multiple stores when it is really worth my while. I prefer to shop at Vons so I usually always shop there.
• It can be really time consuming in the beginning. Honestly, sometimes it can be very time consuming to plan the trip and then to go. I just see it as this is my way of "making money" for our family. The more you use the Weekly Tools the easier it gets.
• Sometimes the cashiers have no ideas about deal, coupons, etc. That is why it is good to know what you are talking about. If for some reason it doesn't ring up like you thought don't be afraid to go over to customer service and figure it out.
  
• Allow yourself time to learn. It takes a while to get the hang of it (at least it took me a while).
  
• Have fun!

Queen Bee Market Inspiration

I went to the Queen Bee Market on the first and LOVED it! I know the purpose of a market is for people to buy things. I didn't walk away with much.

Only this awesome picture by Stacey Winters.

I loved all of her stuff. But I had to buy this because it reminded me of Justin and me. I also love the title "Love Your Haircut". I brought it home, put it in a frame, wrapped it up and gave it to Justin for our Anniversary of getting engaged (we don't really celebrate the day, it just happened to be the same day). You can check out her etsy site HERE.

I also walked away with lots of inspiration for getting crafty. I walked around and thought, "And I want to make that, and I want to make that, and I have to make that." So I got every one's card, checked out their online shops and made a list of all the things I want to make. I used my own names for things, but here is the list. I wanted to add pictures but didn't feel comfortable using them without permission, so you will just have to link over to take a look. And if you are not feeling too crafty just buy it already made.

Birdie Polymer Clay Clippies at Creme de la Gems

Wall Hooks and Magnets at paisley mill

Little Felt Flowers and Big Felt Flower and Fabric Flower and Another Fabric Flower at Baby Flair Boutique

Covered Notebook, Crayon Roll, Covered Button Clips at The Pleated Poppy

Word Signs at Joy's Hope

Security Blanket from MEG original

I also have a mental list of all the other thing I want to make. Maybe I should write that down too. But for now here is part of my never ending to do list.