Quantcast
Channel: Frugal Adventures In WebsterLand
Viewing all 129 articles
Browse latest View live
↧

Money Monday - Stretch Your Grocery Budget With Coupons and Cash Back Apps

June 29, 2015, 1:48 am
$
0
0
I took a little break from writing last a post last Monday but this week I thought I would share with you some ways to stretch your grocery budgets that little bit further.

Couponing

If you are a regular reader of my blog you will know that while I'm not extreme I do like a bit of couponing, coupons are everywhere nowadays, the internet is a fantastic resource for finding them and a search of 'Extreme Couponing' on Facebook will bring up some brilliant pages my personal favourites are Coupon Shop and Coupon Crazy Cat Lady .

I like to make the most of my coupons by using them when the product is on a promotional sale, this often makes the product totally free or a crazy low price, you can see my post here  about getting the most value from your coupons.


I recently bought this little folder for £2.20 from Amazon to keep all my coupons organised.


Cash Back Apps

I've been aware of cash back apps for a while but have always been a bit wary of them for some reason, the difference between these and using a physical coupon is that you have to pay for your product out of pocket and then use the app to claim the money back.

                                            This Jelly was free after using the Shopitize app.

After feeling very inspired by Laura from Coupon Crazy Cat Lady I decided to give it a go, I'm really glad I did as the apps have improved ten fold since I last tried them, here are the ones I'm using at the moment.

Shopitize

Quidco ClickSnap

TopCashback Snap & Save

CheckOutSmart

I also have the One Stop and Bargain Booze apps installed as they regularly offer great freebies.

Do you enjoy couponing ? leave me a comment below I would love to hear from you.

Angela x




↧
Search

June Frugal Food Challenge - The Results

July 1, 2015, 1:46 am
$
0
0
I thought I would start off the month updating you on the challenge we set ourselves in June, I would love to tell a fib and say we smashed it but I wouldn't do that to you my lovely readers.

Trying to live a more frugal lifestyle is a learning process, like anything else in life you can't be 100% perfect all of the time and although we didn't perfect this challenge we still made some big improvements and I'm more than happy with that.

Cut The Crap

This was and wasn't a total failure, we still had a few takeaways and had a few too many treats of an evening but we did it all within our budget and only if we were sure we could afford it, of course it would have been much better to have ploughed the money we spent in a better direction and we will keep striving to do better in this area.

On the plus side I lost 6lbs in June by being more physically active, the decluttering, deep cleaning and gardening have really paid off.

Waste Nothing

I did really well in this area, I only got food out of the freezer if I was sure we were going to eat it, I've made a meal plan every week and other than the odd takeaway we have stuck to it this means I've only bought what we actually needed for those meals and nothing extra.

Chris and I are not big fruit eaters but I feel it's really important for the kids to eat fruit, one way I've found to really reduce waste in this area is to buy loose and only one or two of each fruit, this is a great way of offering a variety without too much waste.

Repeat,Repeat,Repeat

This challenge has also been a success, Chris and I sat down and wrote a list of meals that we all enjoy, we came up with 14 which we will rotate, this really takes the pressure off not knowing what to make each night and again reduces waste, simplicity really is best when it comes to meal planning.


Stay tuned for my July frugal challenge post.

Angela x
↧
↧

July Frugal Challenges

July 1, 2015, 12:10 pm
$
0
0
I've decided to set myself just two frugal challenges this month, July is set to be very busy, it's almost half term and my step-children are visiting next weekend, we also have a long list of jobs that need doing around the house, frugally of course.

Total Tumble Dryer Ban

I've written in previous posts about my new found love of line drying so I thought I would challenge myself to not turn on the tumble dryer at all this month, this will require careful planning on my part, checking the weather and being inventive if inside drying is required.

Doing this will save us a ton on the electricity bill as well as eliminating all the dust created when we use it.


Find Frugal Free Family Fun

We will soon have almost seven weeks of no nursery due to the Summer holidays, I want to make sure we get out of the house as much as possible, of course we will be spending lots of time in the garden but I also want to find as many free activities as possible to give the little ones and myself  some variety.

I'm going to research what's on locally for free, I've already spotted a regular play session at the local children's centre and the library normally does something as well.


I will report back at the end of the month and let you know how we did.

If you have any ideas for frugal challenges we could do please let me know in the comments.

Angela x

Image courtesy of Africa at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

↧

Bargains I've Bagged This Week

July 2, 2015, 1:50 am
$
0
0
This week I have taken advantage of some store offers and coupons, I've able to add some treats to our weekly shopping budget.

The Co-op have another good £5 offer on at the moment, these five items should have cost around £15 so that's a brilliant saving, even better I had a 50p coupon off a £4 spend so this little lot cost me £4.50 !


Every third week of the month the Daily Mirror newspaper have coupons in for money off Aldi products, some are 50% some are 30% off, I got this little lot for £1.99.


This used coupons and cashback apps for the next lot of products.

Flash Anti-bac Wipes 90 pack: £1.50 at Asda- £1 after printable coupon

Birds Eye Lightly Dusted Cod: £2.00 at Asda-50p after ClickSnap cashback (also on try me free so a full refund making this a money maker)

Kettle Chips: £1 at Asda-50p after ClickSnap cashback

John West Tuna Twist-£1.08 at Asda-Free with coupon from their Facebook page


As with all types of couponing and bargain hunting, the products are only a bargain if they are things you would normally use or would want to try, I don't stockpile as I'm not a fan of clutter but I do admire people who are organised enough to do it.

Have you found any bargains this week, leave me a comment below I would love to hear from you.

Angela x
↧

All The Fun Of The Fair (With A Coupon Or Two !)

July 3, 2015, 12:41 pm
$
0
0
Every July there's a local tradition in Warrington where we live that has been around since the early 19th century, it called 'Walking Day' churches, schools and other groups take part in the walk and then there are several local fun fairs to attend afterwards.

I come from an area in Warrington that didn't celebrate this tradition but Chris grew up with fond memories of walking day and going to the fair afterwards, as we live closer to town now and Daisy's school closes for the day Chris wanted to make it a part of hers and Jake's childhood too.

We didn't attend the walk itself as Daisy and Jake are too little at the moment but we did go to the fair once Daddy was home from work.

It will come as no surprise to regular readers that I'm always looking to save money and when Chris found that the fair had a Facebook page and were offering printable money off coupons for the rides I was very excited.

Daisy and Jake had some pennies from Nanny and Grandad for the rides and we took drinks with us so all in all fun was had and at the fraction of the cost.









Of course we had the obligatory cone of chips and a bag of candy floss on the walk home, we also had a go on the 'Hook A Dalmatian', someone must have hooked all the ducks (sorry couldn't resist) both children are extremely happy with the gigantic scented bouncy balls they both won.

We've had an absolutely lovely evening and it just goes to show you can find a coupon for anything if you look hard enough.

What's the most unusual or unlikely coupon you have found ?

Angela x

↧
↧

Look In My Letterbox 28th June-4th July 2015

July 4, 2015, 11:45 am
$
0
0
I've had a little something in the post almost every day this week which always make me happy, there seems to be an abundance of good freebies around at the moment which is good as I'm expecting my prizes to become a little more infrequent as I'm being very selective about what I enter for to avoid gathering any more clutter.

Two lovely prizes arrived this week, the Galt baby toys are from TheBabyWebsite who run lots of competitions every month, I've won several prizes from them over the years and the Furchester goodies were from a Facebook competition, Daisy loves this show so a brilliant win for us.



I love these little skincare samples, this one is a serum from Vichy, these have all gone but they do offer samples regularly so worth keeping an eye on.


Another generous freebie arrived from SoPost, a miniature bottle of whisky.


I got these two Pampers coupons which is great as I always buy them on the bulk deals so I will be able to use both of them, if you have a little one make sure you are on their mailing list.


Have you had anything good in the post this week ? let me know in the comments below I love hearing from you.

Angela x


↧

This Week At The Webster's - A Rude Awakening, Fun In The Sun, Fun At The Fair And A First Small Step

July 5, 2015, 7:48 am
$
0
0
Last week started off with a 4am unpleasant wake up call, to spare you the details I will just say that Daisy and Chinese buffet restaurants do not mix well, she had spent a lovely day out with her nanny and granddad in Southport and was absolutely shattered when she got home but she didn't get much sleep that night as you can imagine.

Daisy wasn't well enough for school on Monday which was really sad as it should have been her first sports day, we had our own little sports day at home in Tuesday once she was feeling up to it.

We have had such a mix of weather this week, July started off a little rainy and miserable but we also saw temperatures that broke records, on the hottest days we stayed inside playing but as soon as it cooled a little we were out in the garden where we couldn't get Jake out of the little car.

 
 
On Friday we had a lovely walk down to the fair, you can read all about it here if you would like to.


After practising standing up all week Jake has taken his first few wobbly steps, I could be wrong but I think I might be telling you that he's walking by this time next week.

This morning I woke up in the mood to do some baking and some gardening, I feel so much better when I keep myself busy but I'm about ready to drop now, I think an early night and a few episodes of Marco Polo on Netflix might be in order.

                              Slow cooker chocolate cake ( not burnt it's dark chocolate sauce)

Angela x
↧

Slowing Down For Summer

July 13, 2015, 11:15 am
$
0
0
I started off this month with the intention of blogging almost every day, I've got lots of frugal and money making ideas to share with you all, so I was surprised last week when I suddenly ran out of steam and found myself staring at a blank page with the words just not flowing but I think I know why.

One of the reasons is that the summer holidays are fast approaching and Daisy and I are more than ready for the break, I've no doubt we will still have very early starts to our days (thanks Jake) but the thought of not rushing around to get out the door and to school on time fills me with bliss.

Another reason is that I've been a woman on a mission to get ahead by decluttering  and deep cleaning the house because I'm determined to spend as much time as we can outdoors during the holidays which means less time for chores. I will admit I'm a bit of a clean freak so being over organised means that a quick swish round in the mornings should be enough to keep me happy.

With the above in mind I've decided to slow down for Summer, I will still be blogging but it will be sporadically. I'm aiming for one or two posts a week but I'm not going to lose any sleep if I don't manage it.

Although I do first and foremost blog for myself and my family I know that some of you come back to read my posts each week and I'm so grateful for that hence the post to explain my absence, it may turn out that I have more time to squeeze in some posts than I thought but for now the intention is to fill the Summer days with fun and memories and not screen time.

I hope you have a fun and of course frugal Summer holidays, I will no doubt share with you what we get up to.


Angela x











↧
Search

Frugal Adventures In Websterland Has Moved

September 3, 2015, 4:59 am
↧
↧
Viewing all 129 articles
Browse latest View live
Search