Guest post: When life gives you over-ripened fruit, make a smoothie!

I am excited to introduce you to my friend, Christa.  She recently started blogging at Brown Sugar Toast and I love her blog and writing style!  Take it away, Christa!

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Hey! I'm Christa from Brown Sugar Toast. Nice to meet ya. :) I'm so happy I can be with you here at Centsible Savings! Christina does an awesome job saving money and sharing how she does it. I especially love all her Décor on a Dime posts!

My goal at Brown Sugar Toast is to help my readers add sweetness to the mundane things in life - specifically cooking crafting, and homemaking.

Today, I want to share a little post with you about one of my all-time fave things. It starts out lookin' a little rough, so ... just bear with me. ;)

What do you do when you have bananas that look like this:

Strawberries that are getting a little on the older side:

A handful of lonely blueberries:

And some juice that's about to go bad?

Why, these are the PERfect ingredients for a smoothie! :)

Yep - throw those things together!

I like my smoothies to be cold and icy, so if I'm using fresh fruit, I always add some ice to the mix:

Blend that thing together and, honey, you've got a healthy and delicious drink awaiting your taste buds!

The great thing about smoothies is that they are completely customizable! I usually add yogurt in mine to give it some creaminess. But I will also put a handful of fresh spinach in there too.

Did I lose you on that? ;)

Seriously. Especially when you have other strong tastes in the smoothie (like orange juice or strawberries) you will not even notice the spinach taste. Unless, of course, you put a whole bag of spinach leaves in your smoothie. :)

If you have kiddos, this is a great way to help them get more of their fruits and veggies in for the day. My little girl LOVES smoothies and yep, I put spinach in hers and am totally not ashamed of doing it. ha!

Hope that inspires you to find a great way to use up your leftover fruits and veggies!

Thanks, Christina, for letting me share over here on your awesome blog!! :)

Guest post: Prepare a week’s worth of dinners in ONE hour (I promise, it can be done!)

One of the things I love about blogging is the friends I have made and the enjoyment of reading about what is going on in their life.  I have been inspired by Renee's recent dinnertime prep method and can't wait to try it myself in a few weeks when life slows down for me.  Be ready to be inspired with how to make a week's worth of dinners in ONE hour! 

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Thanks, Christina, for the chance to come share my obsession passion for what has made such a huge difference in my cooking and in my family’s dinnertime!

I’m Renee, and I like to blog about a little bit of everything…

…from my organizing and decorating fun,  the escapades of my three wild ones and the ups and downs of homeschooling, to my weekly Menu Monday post where I share that week’s adventure in planning my menu and prepping all my dinners in less than an hour!

Want the low down on this meal prep planning?

Basically I give up about an hour Sunday afternoon whilest my boys are snoozing and my girl is otherwise occupied, and in return I have all my dinners for the week... in the fridge and ready to go!

Is this plan something YOU could do too?

Absolutely... 100%!

If you read my blog long enough you'll see that I'm not anywhere close to being an amazing chef. If I can make it work... ANYONE can!

I learned all about Making Five Dinners in One Hour from Michelle back in January.  Most of these ideas are straight from her!  She does offer a paid subscription to her recipes that have the meal plan and coordinating grocery list all laid out super simply.  She also posts free recipes and tips on her blog that are definitely worth following.  What's neat about her meals/plan is that all meals are covered and kept "fresh" in the FRIDGE not the freezer!  At dinnertime you just pop one out and in the oven and you are good to go.

I have never been much of a cook actually, but through this experiment I have found myself enjoying cooking more and more. Maybe because I am taking all the stress out of the process.  I'm choosing to cook at a time more convenient for me and my family.  If your kids are anything like mine, then you know that the "witching hour" is those late afternoon hours right before dinnertime where everyone is bored and hungry and GROUCHY!

Add an infant into the mix and fixing nutritious interesting meals gets put WAY down low on the survival priority list.

I have 3 kids... an eight year old that I am homeschooling, a 3 year old that makes me constantly wonder what he's into now,  and a wee babe who loves his momma.  Needless to say, my time is very short each day, and at mealtime there may be a host of things that arise to get in the way of traditional, normal meal prep.

I think this is something everyone should at least TRY!  It has transformed our dinnertime.   I am not stressing {as much}. We are not eating blessed CHICKEN every other night anymore, and we have cut down our eating out drastically.  {And saved us much moolah!} Changing the quality of our meals also somehow motivated us to change the quality of our dinnertime experience. We went from eating in the Living Room most nights {I know.  How bad is that?} to eating around the table… as a family.  What a concept.

It is definitely a no brainer to me.  Giving up an hour on Sunday afternoon gives me my dinners for the week in the fridge and ready to go. Uh,  So. Totally. Worth. It.

Here’s how you do it.

Most any recipe can be almost completely prepped ahead of time in order to save tons of time each night. Work in stages.  I do each stage on a different day so it's not an overwhelming task.

~ First, plan your menu for the week, and create your grocery list.  {I do mine Friday, and I got my free menu plan printable here. Love it cuz it has the menu plan on one side and the grocery list on the other.}

~ Do your grocery shopping, and you will be ready to get started the next day {or whenever you choose to prep.} {We shop Saturday... usually as a fam.}

~ Make a list of every ingredient and utensil you will need.  I do this on my menu plan sheet on Fridays before I create my grocery list.

~ Set the timer!  Competing against the timer helps me work quickly and turns the whole process into something of a game. {Whatever I can do to trick myself into thinking it's fun helps. Yes, I know that's sad.} I also like to turn on some tunes for some extra motivation.  :)

~ Gather all of your ingredients and utensils on the counter before you start.  Foil and Ziploc bags are your allies here.  I love Michelle's tips on using Ziploc bags to mix ingredients thereby saving the dirtying of one more bowl and spoon!  If it works, why not I say!

~ 

~Follow the recipes usually up until the point that the food is put in the oven.  At that point, cover your dishes and pop 'em in the fridge. I like to label each meal so I don't have to uncover and try to remember what each one is through the week.

Easy peasy!

I am totally SOLD on this method. 

It has brought a wonderful change to our family dynamic.

Better meals each week, all week... a priceless thing!

If you think you might want to try the oh-so-marvelous prep ahead lifestyle, check out all my 5 dinner 1 hour escapades… 

Thanks, Christina, for letting me share while you’re off having a blast with Mickey!

Guest post: Who needs a newspaper when the internet is full of great deals?

Since it is the week of Cyber Monday (or Cyber Week as some retailers are calling it!), I thought you might enjoy this guest post!

While the Internet might not be an effective training tool in the housebreaking of puppies, the Web does hold a substantial edge over print media when it comes to finding the best deals on goods and services.

In years past, to find the best retail deals and top coupon offers, a deal-seeker had to trudge to the store or wait at their porch for delivery of the newspaper. Even if you only wanted a single coupon, you had to get the entire newspaper to snip that one money saving nugget.

Welcome to the future, where the deals and coupons come to you at the click of a mouse and without the overhead of newsstand or subscription pricing!

Retailers Know that Internet Advertising is More Cost-Effective and Popular

Retailers are well aware that it costs a lot less to make their deals and coupons available via the Internet than the price of having them printed in a newspaper. Buying ad space in a newspaper is extremely costly. In the age of the Internet, a retailer can simply post their offer or coupon on their existing website or with a coupon providing site. This not only costs less, but it attracts a generally larger, much more targeted audience.

Newspaper circulation is dwindling nationwide. Every year, the percentage of people getting their news and information through digital means becomes greater. This seeking of information through the Internet increases the amount of attention an online coupon will get as opposed to one in a newspaper, as the shopper is already utilizing the Web to get their daily dose of news. It’s highly unlikely that this consumer is going to leave their computer chair to pick up a newspaper to find a retail deal.

In a newspaper, an ad or coupon needs to be created in a manner that is eye-catching and will attract the consumer’s attention. This costs money in design fees. On the Internet, a coupon need not be flashy, as the website which contains the offer is already designed to be eye-catching. Consumers generally prefer a simple coupon, as it is easier to print.

Internet Advertising is Interactive

When was the last time a newspaper ad spoke to you? Not figuratively; actually produced spoken words and moving images. This goes on all the time in the world of Internet deals.

When you are deciding whether or not a particular product is what you want, or if you want to determine which brand is better than the other, what could be better than actual demonstrations of the products? On the Internet, you can watch video demonstrations of products and services and see 360 degree images of the item on which you are considering spending your hard earned money. Newspapers generally lack in this interactive department.

It is no longer necessary to drive all the way to the store to find out that the product you’re interested in doesn’t look as good in person as it did in a somewhat blurry print ad. Watch videos of the product and search the Internet for user reviews, and you’ll have all the information you need without setting foot inside a store.

Internet Advertising not Only Saves Green, it is Green

The environmental advantages to online coupons are staggering. Rather than creating piles of old newspaper, Internet ads take up only bits and bytes on digital mediums. To find the specific coupon a consumer needed would sometimes require buying several newspapers. On the Internet, sites like couponclaim.com list all the coupons in easy to navigate categories. There is no clipping or printing of anything other than the specific coupons you want.

When looking for the best deals, newspapers have become basically useless. When pitted against coupon hosting sites or retailer’s direct Websites, a paper’s only valuable use is – well – that puppy training thing.

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This article was written by Cynthia Waverly. She is a frugal living, stay-at-home mom of two. She is a freelance writer (when she has the time) who loves to write about personal finances, coupons and helping others save money in general.

Guest post: Origins of coupons

The following is a guest post:

As we already know, coupons are generally pieces of printed paper that can be redeemed at retail stores for a discount or rebate on a good or service. These coupons are usually mailed and emailed to us, or even clipped from magazines, newspapers, and fliers. But does anyone know the history behind one of the greatest marketing and promotion tools ever invented?

Coupons got their start around the turn of the 20th century with the proliferation of Coca-Cola. One of the partners of the drink company, Asa Candler, wanted to promote the product nationally, but knew he needed help getting people to try it. That's when he created coupons. The company mailed hand-written vouchers to potential customers that were redeemable for a free Coca-Cola at local soda fountains. Candler provided free syrup to the soda fountains to cover the costs and soon one-in-nine Americans had tried the drink. Candler's tactics turned Coca-Cola from a regional fad into one of the most recognizable products in the world.

Soon after Coca-Cola began using coupons, entrepreneur C.W. Post created one cent coupons to help market his latest creation, Grape Nuts cereal, and other breakfast products. Post eventually amassed one of the greatest fortuned of the 20th century and is credited as a pioneer in the manufactured foods industry. Clearly, the use of coupons worked successfully for Post.

The greatest surge in coupon usage came during the Great Depression of the 1930's and 1940's. Many families were forced to use "welfare coupons" which are issued to those considered to be living below the poverty line. These vouchers were redeemable for certain food products, like milk, cheese, eggs, and other such items to help the poor meet their nutritional needs. Other depression-era families could only survive with "grocery coupons" which helped lower their weekly food bills at local markets.

Today, more than 2,800 consumer packaged goods companies offer coupons to attract customers by offering discounts on their products, which results in around $3 billion in business generated in the United States annually. The creation of the internet, and subsequently internet coupons, has drastically helped to increase the American usage of coupons. With more than 80 percent of Americans clipping coupons, the tool continues to be an excellent money saver for families and a successful marketing tactic for retailers and manufacturers.

This guest post is contributed by Angelita Williams, who writes on the topics of online college courses.  She welcomes your comments at her email Id: angelita.williams7@gmail.com.

Guest post: Shop at home!

The following is a guest post written by Heather from Thrifty Stories:

“Honey, we're out of ketchup. Could you grab some for me?”

Sound familiar? Most would reach for their keys, hop in the car and go get it. Or have hubby pop in and get it on the way home from work. While others may reach for a handy pad and pen and add it to the grocery list.

We used to do this. Then we learned the value (and I do mean value!) of stockpiling. We buy ahead. We plan for our family's needs.

1. Think about what your family needs often. Diapers, wipes, formula, contact solution, pet food....etc. Each family is unique and therefore their needs are unique to them. (However, every family has the same basic needs. Tooth brushes, soap, toilet paper, laundry detergent and the list goes on.)

Think about how often you purchase these needs or how quickly your family uses specific items. Do you buy diapers once a week? How long does a 12 roll pack of toilet paper last in your home? (In our home, twelve rolls disappear in no time. We have two small children who use 12 feet at a time...to wipe off the bathroom counter! I mean, come on. Can't ya just use a towel I can launder? )

2. Wait for a good sale and then buy several when the price is good. Most sales will come around again in about 6 weeks time. Now if you are brand loyal, it may be longer. So keep that in mind. If you are not, there will be a sale for that item again. Cereal. One week there may be a great deal on General Mills at Kroger and then two weeks later, it's Kellogg's cereal on sale at Food Lion. Be willing to wait and shop around.

3. Waiting for a good sale is great and does save you money. However, matching up a sale with a coupon is even more satisfying. And it's exciting. I love saving our family money while getting what they need. (Side note here: Lately, I have found a TON of great tearpads in grocery stores and pharmacies. That's free savings, folks.)

4. Redeem a coupon on a sale item during a special event to further maximize your savings. In our area, we are blessed with some awesome grocery stores: Lowes Foods, Food Lion, Kroger and Harris Teeter. (My absolute favorite! Just seeing the HT sign makes my heart beat faster. Their sales are tremendous and their customer service is out of this world.)

I try to save my coupons for specific sales events ( Mega 10, Triples. Super Doubles, etc.) I also watch for catalina promotions to match with my coupons. (Catalinas are the little coupons at the register that print out with your receipt. Sometimes it's just an advertisement or $1.00 off a specific item. However, sometimes it is $3.00 off your next shopping order because of specific items you just purchased. It's like getting money back!)

So think about your needs, watch the sales, use your coupons and maximize your savings.

5. Stockpile. This is where the value begins. What you need you already have in your home. Stored away. Ready to use. You see, when you run out of something, you are at the mercy of what the store is currently charging. When you have the item stockpiled, you more than likely purchased it on sale and with a coupon. Thus, saving you money. So the next time you are out of something...send hubby here:

...or here...

....and shop at home. :)

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Heather has recently started writing at Thrifty Stories, sharing coupon matchups and deals along with thrifty stories about family life. She enjoys Harris Teetering with her 3 girls (and another blessing on the way!), and serving at their local church where her husband, Stephen, is the music pastor. She is also an artist and is currently illustrating a coloring book.

Guest post: Household cleaners - Thrifty, Homemade and Green!

I know you will enjoy this post from Heather at Thrifty Stories!  She has made and tried (along with her adorable girls!) several recipes for homemade cleaners that are not only thrifty and easy to make, but are also safe for your kids, pets, and the environment!  I don’t mind being green when I can do it and stay within my thrifty budget.  I can’t wait to try out some of these cleaners myself!

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Ever felt guilty for cleaning your house? Ok, maybe not for cleaning it, but rather for the products you were using? This was where my husband and I have been. For the past six months or so, we have been tweaking our cleaning technique as well as our actual products looking for a safer way to clean our home. The purpose for cleaning our homes is to rid our living environment of germs, dirt, film, scum, mold....you name it, we want it gone! Yet the very things we are/were using to cleanse surfaces are possibly just as harmful. Just look at all the warnings on the backs of the bottles. Here's a few:

• Hazards to humans and domestic animals.
• Keep out of reach of children and pets.
• Use with adequate ventilation.
• Wear protective eyewear. (Really, who wears safety goggles to clean the toilet?)
• Wash hands thoroughly before eating, drinking or chewing gum.

So we've taken the plunge and tried "green" cleaning. You know me when it comes to spending. The "green" products in the stores are priced outrageously high. We want to be healthy but at an affordable price, ya know? So I made my own. So easy, folks. I simply purchased a few spray bottles for $0.98 at Wal-Mart (found in the cleaning supplies with mops, sponges, brooms, etc.) I then took a sharpie and labeled my bottles so I know what they contain (and so does everyone else! Everyone pitches in to help clean here.)

I also used the sharpie to write the "recipe" right on the bottle. Who wants to try to google the info every time you need to refill?

Here's a few recipes: (I saw these basic recipes on several sites, so these are commonly used as alternative non-toxic choices. Tried and true.)

Homemade Glass Cleaner

1 cup water

1 cup rubbing alcohol

1 tbsp. white vinegar

Streak-free Window Washer

Fill bottle with water

1 tiny drop of dishwasher soap 

1 tsp. white vinegar

All Purpose Cleaner

1/2 gallon water

1/2 cup white vinegar

1/4 cup baking soda

General Cleaner/Disinfectant Spray

1/2 part water

1/2 part white vinegar

Silver Polish

Rub with toothpaste and allow to dry rinse with water and buff to shine (I had heard of this before and it really does work!)

After having made these simple products, I now set out to test them. And test them we did! Even my girls wanted to help clean. (gasp) Yes, that will get old, I know, but I'm gonna enjoy the help while it lasts. :)

(Please excuse the chocolate on her face. She's my girl!)

g

The windows were sparkling clean...and by a five year old.

What can I say? I'm hooked.

My family and I aren't jumping in with both feet, but rather we are taking baby steps to a healthier lifestyle.

And that makes me feel good. :)

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Heather has recently started writing at Thrifty Stories, sharing coupon matchups and deals along with thrifty stories about family life. She enjoys Harris Teetering with her 3 girls, and serving at the local church where her husband, Stephen, is the music pastor. She is also an artist and is currently illustrating a coloring book.

Guest post: To print or not to print!

The following is a guest post written by Ashley at Shopping Frugal.

I have had a couple of you ask me what I do with printing coupons ever since our printers exploded with the mass quantity of Kraft Foods coupons! Many of you want to print them right away as your not sure when the print limit is going to be up but at the same time you don't want to waste valuable printer ink for an item that might not have a sale soon. Plus your not sure when the expiration date is as they do not let you know until you print.

My suggestions for printing coupons online:

Only print items you will actually use:
If it is something I have not used or never plan to use I don't bother with printing it, UNLESS I know I can get it for free (or moneymaker) within that week. Even if I know I can get it for less then .50 cents each. Even though you would be getting it on the cheap is it worth spending that .50 cents or so on an item you will not use? It is only worth it if you are planning on giving it away or donating it. (I will be discussing more on this topic this week) When I 1st started "full throttle" couponing I will print everything and learned real quick it was not worth it.

With that said, you ask "Well, what if I will be able to score it for FREE in a few weeks and now I've missed out as the the coupon is no longer available?" My answer t o that... Your going to win some and you are going to lose some, but guess what! If they have offered that coupon before they will probably offer it again so after some time it will be back for you to snag!

If it is something I might used, even though it's not my favorite brand I will 1st research the price of what I can get it today and if it is equal too, or less then the price of the brand I usually use I will go ahead and print it and try to wait and see if I can find it for less. I might only print 1 of the 2 usual limit just in case I won't like the product, this gives me a chance to try it. Brand loyalty does not need to be thrown out with couponing but it does get questioned.

If it is an item you use already, go ahead and print the "usual" 2 limit coupons limit that the manufacturer might offer. If a manufacturer does not set a print limit on a certain item, do think twice before printing more then 2 coupons. Unfortunately what happens is people get coupon crazy and start to print 10 + of this product and then whatever limit the manufacturer set the print limit too (say 100,000 coupons to be printed) now you might have taken away coupons from someone that did not see this as quickly as you. As with all things be considerate of others. THIS IS MY OPINION.

Print in Black & White if you can:
This will not work for everyone. It does not work for me! When I print my coupons in black and white I will always have issues with the cashier, unless "I know" them. I know some couponers will always print in B&W and if they have an issue they will speak to the manager or show the cashier the different "special" number code. To me, it is worth it to be not to be hassled and print in color. Some coupons even state that the coupon can be printed in color or B&W. If you are one of the lucky ones that are able to print in B&W and not have issues you will save alot of money on ink!

Try to find out the expiration date before printing:
If this is a coupon you are questioning, try to see if you can find the expiration date on a blog before printing. If the expiration date is soon this can help you decide if it is worth printing or not. I try to mark the expiration date on my blog when I post a printable coupon. If I don't, I might not be printing the coupon myself but will ask a reader to leave the expiration date in the comment section to share with others.

Don't leave the coupons printed but on the desk!:
I find when I do this I will forget about them. If I don't clip and sort them right away I will at least put them in my coupon folder so they don't get under a pile on the desk. If for some reason you do not use a coupon and it has hit it's expiration date, go ahead and use this for scrap paper or to print more coupons on! Never let the paper go to waste.

Use the whole sheet of paper:
As you might know, some coupons print a whole ad/recipe and waste ALOT of ink! What I tend to do is WATCH the printer and press cancel once it has printed the full coupon. I then put the paper back into the printer to print more coupons on the blank areas. I have become a pro at turning and fliping the paper to get lots of coupons on one sheet and not to double on each other!

Check back often:
With coupons.com and other coupon printing sites, they will refresh their print limit meaning you can print your limit again! I try to keep an eye on this when there is something I use alot. Also make sure to print the coupons you want before the end of the month. At the end of the month they usually change their selection and you might miss out.

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Ashley writes for Shopping Frugal and is a young, energetic couponer in the South Florida area. Ashley’s goal is to inform her readers, and raise their awareness to ways they too can "shop frugal". She makes it easy to receive samples, get items for free, and collect coupons for online and local shopping - all on one web site.

Guest post: Have you tried Swaptree yet?

Have you heard of swaptree? If not you are like me! I never had heard of it until a reader emailed me about it. She has graciously agreed to write a guest post sharing how it works with us. I can't wait to try it myself!

The following is a guest post by Sharon Williams of Here's what I found.

I hate having stuff sitting around the house that I no longer need or want. What do I do with extra DVDs, CDs, Books, & Game system games? I post them on Swaptree. There are no points or credits to earn, no cost per transaction, no searching for matches. You simply post the titles of what you have, make a quick list of what you want and Swaptree does the rest.

Last week I posted a Star Wars Lego Gamecube game that we no longer wanted on swaptree. The next day I received an email saying I would receive Super Paper Mario Wii game in exchange. All I have to do is mail the Gamecube game (media mail rate costs less than $2.00) and I will go to my mailbox in about a week and get my new Wii game.

Here’s how it works:

1. Create an account at swaptree.com (no credit card required of course) Gather your books and media you want to get rid of.


2. Just type in the UPC or ISBN number of the item.


3. Swaptree will automatically bring up the picture and description of item.


4. You tell what kind of condition the item is in.


5. Once you have listed all the things you have.... it's time to find the items you want.


6. Type in the search box the item you would like to have.


7. Click on 'want it'.


8. List as many things as you can on your want list and have list. Your odds for a quick match go up the more items you have! Don't worry if you don't get a match right away. We've been a member for a little over 2 years and have completed over 60 trades! Sometimes we'll hit a month where we complete 3 or 4 swaps then there will be dry times when we don't get a swap at all. It all depends on what you have listed and who else is swapping.


9. Now comes the fun part. - Swaptree will match you with someone who has what you want and wants what you have.


10. You will get an email asking if you want to 'accept this trade'.


11. You type in your password and click accept.


12. Then you mail your item to them and they mail you the item you want. (I always save mailing envelopes from samples etc, so I never have to buy them)

Win -win for everyone! It's fun to think that we 'swap' stuff with people all over the country!

Ready to sign up and start swapping your unwanted media for something you really want? Click here!!

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Sharon Williams writes for Here's what I found and is a part-time working mother of 3 (ages 2, 4, 7). She loves to find deals and pass on the easy savings to others. Thank you for allowing me to share about a great way our family has found to enjoy movies, music and games without spending a lot of money.