The Frugal Housewife

As many may have noticed, we have a new wordpress theme for The Frugal Housewife. After much praying, thought, and several tryouts for the new theme, we have come to the conclusion that this theme is the best one for The Frugal Housewife.

Some may wonder why we had to change. The other theme was the one that I really liked, BUT…..

Because it was a free theme, I could not move the grouped advertisements to the section of the theme that I wanted. I also could not take the advertisement for the attorneys off of the footer. It was also starting to load very slowly, which some of that may have been due to the fact that I was testing new themes. In other words, I didn’t have the total control that I want when designing a blog or website.

The Grunge theme was a theme that could have been purchased, but the designer wanted $500 and that was just something that I was not going to do, no matter how much I liked the theme.

I want to say thank you for all the nice comments and reviews that I received on the other theme.

I hope all enjoy this theme and once it is all tweaked, I hope that I can get down to doing some continuous blogging!!!

Technorati Tags: frugal, housewife, money, new theme, The Frugal Housewife, theme, wordpress theme

Bargain

Coupons! Coupons! Coupons! Most people that live a frugal lifestyle use coupons. Using a combination of the sales circulars and coupons you can get many items for free and save quite a bit of money on other items. It requires a bit of work but there are some things that can be done to make couponing easier.

1. Find the coupons.

Coupons can be found in magazines, newspapers, and on the internet. There are so many places to look for coupons. One of these sites, Findsavings, offers so many coupons and discounts from everything to food to shoes. You can click on the coupon you are looking for and print it off. Learning to use these sources can make couponing so much easier.

2. Stay organized.

Separating the coupons by category and even by expiration dates will make enable you to find the exact coupon you are looking for. There are organizers that are being sold or you can make your own organization files.

Chicken and Seafood Pages by Ninjapoodles on Flickr.com

3. Watch the expiration dates.

It is important to throw away expired coupons. You may even consider organizing your coupons by topic and then by expiration date, so that the ones that are about to expire will always be in the front of the stack.

4. Make it a habit to calendar and fill out the rebate forms.

If you are like me, I forget to send in the rebate forms. Make it a habit to put the due date on the calendar for any rebates that you have.

REBATE by ninjapoodles on Flickr.com

5. Join a coupon exchange club.

I’ve never subscribed to a coupon exchange club so I’m not sure about these. I do know that they exist and are easily found on the web. If someone has ever used them, please let us know your experience on this.

Technorati Tags: Coupon, coupon savings, Couponing, coupons, findsavings, frugal, frugal housewife, frugal lifestyle, frugal living, money

Chevron on Bell Street 11 14 08

Several weeks ago I posted a picture of the gas prices at the Chevron Station on Bell Street in San Angelo, TX. The prices have fallen even more and now I’m going to post the last update (unless the prices fall below a buck). This picture was taken tonight at the same gas station. It’s great to see the gas prices below $2.00 again!!!

Technorati Tags: car, gas, gas prices, price of gas, price of gas in TX, San Angelo, Texas

Winter Brightness by Grant MacDonald

The picture of the snow is beautiful. Down here in West Texas, we don’t have snow in the winter like that in the picture. In the last week or so, we’ve had some temperatures at night in the upper 20s. My husband started thinking about winterizing our cars. It made me start thinking… What do you do to winterize a car? So I asked him. His answer was “I’m not really sure because I take it to the service station and they get it ready.” Now to a newly frugal minded person I want to make sure that we are not charged for some things that we can do ourselves. So I started searching the net and here are some of the suggestions I found.

1. Check your car’s coolant. Your car needs the correct mixture to be protected in freezing tempatures. If necessary have the system flushed and the coolant replaced.

2. Check your battery. Make sure it will hold a charge. Clear away any corrosion that may have built up around the cables and the posts. If you have a battery that is over three years old, you may want to check into having it changed.

3. The hoses and belts need to be checked for wear and tear. Replace the belts if needed.

4. Get your car’s oil changed before it get really cold. If it is about time for your car’s oil to be changed, then go ahead and have it done. Don’t wait until it gets really cold. Cold temperatures tend to make the oil thicken. Thick oil is not good for your car’s engine.

5. Check the windshield wipers and windshield wiper fluid.Windshield wipers usually last about a year. They get brittle in the cold. If you are using your car in an area where there is a lot of snow and ice, the sand and salt put down on the road can get under your windshield wiper and may damage your windshield. Also, make sure that you keep windshield wiper fluid full. Water will not work in the winter for wiper fluid. It will freeze.

6. Check your tire pressure and tire tread.Tire pressure usually drops in colder weather. Low tire pressure will not give you good traction in ice and snow. Check your car manual to see what the appropriate tire pressure for your vehicle should be in colder weather. If the tread on your tires is becoming worn, now is the time you might want to consider replacing your tires. If you live in an area that gets a lot of snow and ice, you may even want to consider replacing the tires with snow tires.

7. Make sure that your spare tire has enough air and is not flat.If you are like my husband and me, we don’t think about the spare until we need it.

8. Have your brakes checked.You wouldn’t want to find out that you needed new brakes when they go out when traveling on snow and ice.

9. Check your front, back, and brake lights.Make sure that all lighting systems are working properly. The days are shorter and winter days can often be darker. You want to be able to see when you are driving and you want others to be able to see you.

We hope that the service station that we go to has been checking all of these things because we don’t have a clue how to do some of these things. Now we know to make certain that the service station is doing what we don’t know how to do.

Hope these tips help you in getting your car winterized for the winter and in making sure you know what to tell the service station you want done. If there are any additional tips that you can think of, please let us hear from you!

Technorati Tags: car, cold temperatures, frugal, frugal living, oil change, service station, winter, winterizing, Winterizing your Car

Picture by Sister72 @flickr.com

It’s time to start thinking about Christmas shopping.

It’s already time to start thinking about Christmas shopping. The year has flown by. A lot has changed in a year. The economy has become weaker. With the weak economy, department stores and online retailers will be most certainly offering good deals. It is important to have some kind of plan in place for frugal Christmas shopping.

The Frugal Housewife’s Twelve Tips for A Frugal Christmas

1. Set a budget.

Just like in our daily lives, budgeting is important to having a frugal Christmas. Don’t spend more than what you can afford. It is important not to run up those credit card bills. If you do use your credit cards, make sure that you can afford to pay off the balances as soon as possible.

2. Make a list of the people you want to give gifts.

Making a list will keep you on budget.

3. Find out their likes and dislikes.

Know as much about the person on your list as possible. It is easier to shop for someone if you know as much as possible about them.

4. Sort the list into categories.

Family
Work
Close friends
Co-workers
Acquaintances

Make sure you cross off the names of people after you have purchased their gift. This way you avoid double purchasing.

5. Check the store’s sales circulars.

The retail stores most certainly will be having more sales in an attempt to lure shoppers into the stores. Take advantage of the sales.

6. Check the online sales.

Good deals can be found online. Make sure that the gift will be delivered before Christmas.

7. Make a plan.

Are you going to do all your shopping during a particular day? Plan your shopping route. Know the stores, their hours, etc.

8. Shop first for those you know best on the list.

You will have better gift ideas. You may get ideas for those that are difficult to shop for on your list.

9. If you are planning on making gifts, start well in advance of Christmas.

Give yourself enough time to finish the gift. Don’t add extra stress by running out of time.

10. If giving gift cards, check out the surcharges and expiration dates on the cards.

The stores are now adding surcharges and expiration dates on the gift cards. Pick cards with the latest expiration date and make sure that the individual you are giving the gift card to knows about the surcharges and expiration date.

11. Get extra “cheaper” gifts for those last minute gift giving needs.

There are always those last minute party invites. There are always those “obligation” gifts. You know someone gives you a gift that you weren’t expecting and you feel obligated to give a gift in return. Keep the price of these gifts as cheap as possible.

12. Avoid last minute shopping.

Last minute shopping adds stress and can lead to impulse spending. Impulse spending means overspending. Overspending means breaking the budget.

These are just a few of the many frugal tips for Christmas shopping. Can you think of any more? Please let us hear from you.

Technorati Tags: Christmas, Christmas shopping, Christmas shopping tips, Frugal Christmas, gift, gifts, shopping, shopping tips, The Frugal Housewife

Photo taken by jcolman@flickr.com

Tomorrow’s a big day in America. The direction that our country will take will be decided. Get out and vote!!! I did in early voting!!! Make your voice heard!!!

Picture by vaguely artistic

Technorati Tags: election 2008, Vote, voting