Saving Money: Coupons And Recipes From Pillsbury

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~*If you know of any money saving tips or tricks that have worked for you, feel free to share them! You can always email me at raiscara.avalon@gmail.com. *~

Save Money, Shop Online

One of my favorite ways to save money is by shopping online.

That almost seems like it would cost you more money, especially with the surges in "online shopping" addictions. But if handled responsibly, I find I save more money then all the coupon clipping in the world.

• You can instantly see the total. This is a big one for me, as I am horrible about mentally calculating how much my purchase is going to cost. Then I get nailed with sticker shock, and end up buying it all.
• No trip, no gas. Another big one, since I often have to make a special trip to be able to shop at my favorite stores. I live in the country, and one run can cost me over 4 gallons of gasoline.
• Less impulse buying. Oh yes, I'm one of those. I see and want it. Even if I don't need it. I am a lot less likely to do so online, based on the fact that I know what I'm spending, and I'm usually looking for something specific.
• More time. No more standing in line waiting for your turn to cash out. I also hate it when I make a special trip to a store and they don't have what I want.

Of course there are downsides to shopping online. Having to return a product, not being able to try things on, shipping costs. Some companies will send you labels for online purchases so that you can return items, others do not. Most do allow you to return in store, so grab it when you feel like making a trip. Shipping costs haven't been a big deal for me, especially with so many stores offering shipping deals...including free shipping.

~*If you know of any money saving tips or tricks that have worked for you, feel free to share them! You can always email me at raiscara.avalon@gmail.com. *~

Amazon Deal Of The Day And Lightning Deals

Today's Deal Of The Day!

Hyloft 540 45-by-45-Inch Overhead Storage System

Lightning Deal! Only a little over an hour left. :)

Panasonic EW1270AC Portable Oral Irrigator



~*If you know of any money saving tips or tricks that have worked for you, feel free to share them! You can always email me at raiscara.avalon@gmail.com. *~

Secondhand Children's Clothes In Danger

Image by david_s_carter via FlickrWell isn't this awful? It appears that Congress has passed a law that states that anything being sold for children 12 and under must be tested for lead prior to selling. Which includes clothing items, as well as secondhand objects.

New Safety Rules For Children's Clothing Have Stores In A Fit

With this economy already going downhill, can they really afford to do this? Many secondhand stores will be unable to continue to operate, which means we will all have to buy new clothes for our children. And with the cost of kids clothes nowadays, and the rate they outgrow them, that will be prohibitive for many of us.

I shop secondhand for my 5 year olds clothes as much as I can, although it can be hard to find her size in most shops. I also donate all my daughter's outgrown clothes to them, so that someone else can purchase them for their kids. I hate throwing away perfectly good clothes and toys, but that looks like what is going to have to happen. With as much trash as we generate already, why are we adding more to landfills?

I understand the fear, lead is bad news for anyone, nevermind children. And we've had several lead fears and recalls lately. I want to protect my child as much as anyone, but I want to clothe her too. Here's a thought...why don't we stop outsourcing all our toys and clothing to China and Tawain and maybe make them HERE under our regulations? Gee, but then we wouldn't be able to whine about how we can't control the factories in China.

~*If you know of any money saving tips or tricks that have worked for you, feel free to share them! You can always email me at raiscara.avalon@gmail.com. *~