Frugal Femina is getting a little pampering thanks to Miss Joy at Five J’s. I’ll be moving over to WordPress shortly and wanted to let you know you can still access Frugal Femina here while we get everything switched over. A big {HUGE!} thanks to Joy and also to Davon at HostGator for answering questions galore!

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Someone I know on Twitter is getting this tomorrow.

With coffee, of course, because how can you eat chocolately goodness without coffee?

Here’s a closer look, just in case you missed the chocolate:

Could it be you? I guess you’ll have to wait and see if I show up at your door tomorrow! {wink}

I truly wish I had enough to pass out to every single Frugal Femina reader, but I only made 4 loaves.

What’s that? You only see 3 in the picture? Well, I just couldn’t bear to gift someone with something edible without knowing that it was…well…edible. So Bradley and I had a little taste test. See, you can give and receive!

I hope you’re joining in the 30-Day Giving Challenge hosted by Alyssa at Keeping the Kingdom First.

P.S. You can find the recipe for Holiday Zucchini Bread here. I used dried cherries, walnuts, and milk chocolate chips and added a little coconut, because every knows I love me some coconut! And drenching the top with melted chocolate and sugar doesn’t hurt either.

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Guest Post by Kathy from The $30 Weekly Grocery Challenge

How did my $30 budget start?

My husband and I knew early on that when our little girl was born, I would stay home with her. But we also knew that by doing so we would have to greatly modify our budget for 1 income. It then became a challenge. What all could I get for $30? Oddly, it actually became fun to see what I could get each week with $30. Although it is no longer a necessity to have such a strict budget, I am so accustomed to only spending that amount and utilizing coupons that I continue to do so.

The very first step is to determine what your budget will be and what it includes.

While my budget is $30 a week, this will not work for everyone. You need to determine what works for your family while keeping in mind any special needs that your family may have. My $30 budget includes: groceries, cleaning items and personal items. It does NOT include: diapers or eating out. They have a separate category in our budget.

How am I able to stick to my $30 budget and do I ever go over?

I stick to our budget by utilizing coupons and combining them with sales. By doing this, I can often get items very cheap or free. This allows me to spend more of my $30 budget on meat and other perishables such as fresh fruit and vegetables. Do I go over budget sometimes? yep! There have been weeks where I have been out of town, been sick or had an otherwise hectic week and was not able to plan appropriately and went over budget. But as a general rule, I stick to my $30 budget.

Can someone just starting out only spend $30 a week?

Again, let me say that $30 a week works for our family and may not work for yours. It should not be your standard as you need to find what works for you. We are able to spend $30 a week and have more than plenty but your needs may be different. When starting out, I would not automatically try to drop your budget drastically if you don’t have to. I would set small goals such as cutting your grocery bill by $10 or $15 and decrease it a little more each week.

What steps do I need to take to reduce my grocery bill?

1) Use coupons

2) Combine coupons with a sale to maximize savings

3) Go grocery shopping with a plan. Have your list ready so that you know exactly what you need

4) Menu plan-make a list of what you will be eating for that week

What is stockpiling?

Stockpiling is when you buy more than 1 item because you are getting it at rock bottom prices. By combining sales with coupons, you can often get cheap or free items. When this occurs, buy several. And several is defined as what meets the needs of your family. The larger the family, the larger number you will want to stockpile. By doing so and creating a stockpile, you will never have to pay full price or even just a sale price for an item. This has been a very helpful tactic in reducing my grocery bill. Over time, you will have created such a good stockpile, that you will not have to purchase these items as you need them but can just pull from your stockpile. If you are getting things like toothpaste, shampoo or spaghetti sauce for pennies, think of the budget you will have remaining for items that are more difficult to get for cheap or free. You will have that money you would have otherwise been spending on those items remaining for fresh produce, perishables or meat. While the idea at first may seem odd to buy 4 tubes of toothpaste when you only need 1, it will make more sense when you need that item and do not have to go out to buy it and pay full price. You can merely “shop” from your stockpile that you got for pennies on the dollar!

Kathy blogs at The $30 Weekly Grocery Challenge where she highlights all the best deals and helps readers get the most for their dollar! She and her husband reside in southern Virginia with their 1 year old daughter and love to travel.

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Guest Post by Karen Billings from Karen Billings Graphic Design

If you’re like me, and many of us in today’s unstable economical environment, you may be feeling overwhelmed and stressed about money and debt. It’s so easy to get in over our heads with consumer debt, student debt, and even become concerned about home equity in this uncertain market. Regardless of where we are in our financial journey, there are steps we can be taking to make ourselves feel more secure now, and in our future.

My family has found comfort in the teachings and money-management principles of Dave Ramsey, a world-renowned author, speaker, teacher and financial advisor. His “baby steps” are practical, easy steps for getting out of debt and building a secure financial future for our families:

Baby Step 1:

Build up an Emergency Fund of $1000 in savings. This is your new “when things go wrong” fund, rather than a credit card. Cut up your credit cards. Quit using them…cause even in an emergency, you now have an Emergency Fund!

Baby Step 2:

Pay off your debt with the Debt Snowball! List your debts in order with the smallest payoff or balance first. Do not be concerned with interest rates or terms unless two debts have similar payoffs, then list the higher interest rate debt first. Make only minimum payments on everything except the smallest/lowest balance. Attack that one balance aggressively until it’s paid off. Then move to the next lowest balance. With each paid-off balance, your excitement, satisfaction and confidence will grow.

Baby Step 3:

Expand your Emergency Fund till you have 3 to 6 months of expenses in savings. The peace that comes with knowing your family is covered should there be an unexpected layoff or loss of a job is priceless!

Baby Step 4:

Invest 15% of your household income into Roth IRA’s and pre-tax retirement accounts. This is where we switch from paying off debt and building security to actually starting to build wealth.

Baby Step 5:

Start building a college fund for your children. Notice this comes AFTER your start building for your retirement.
Baby Step 6:

Pay off your home early. Once your smaller debt is gone, and you have money in savings, money in retirement, and are saving for your children, it’s time to start chunking any extra money toward your mortgage!

Baby Step 7:

Build wealth and give! Leave an inheritance for future generations, and bless others now with your excess. It’s really the only way to live!

Okay….so these are baby steps. My family has been baby stepping for a while, and it seems to be the old “two steps forward, one step back”. It seems every time we get our emergency fund built up, an emergency comes along! The good news is, we now have money set aside for those emergencies, and aren’t pulling out our credit cards for every flat tire. Unfortunately, though, there are some emergencies our fund hasn’t been able to cover….like our entire HVAC system going out in the dead of winter! So we find ourselves bouncing back and forth between baby steps 1 and 2. It can be frustrating at times, but the good news is we ARE getting debt paid down. I look forward to the day when both cars are paid off, student loans are paid off, and all we have left is the mortgage. Some days it seems impossible, but it IS an attainable goal. We have friends that are a success story. And every small debt that gets paid off is a major victory.

So, for more information on practical ways to implement Dave Ramsey’s baby steps in your life, or to read success stories of people who have really MADE IT WORK, check out www.daveramsey.com. We really can be free of debt and have financial peace!

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Guest Post by Cherie from Queen of Free

Cherie has crazy red hair and blogs daily as her alter ego on her site (because everyone needs one) the Queen of Free. She invites you to be a Money Saving Lord or Lady and join the Royal Court of the Queen of Free where you can Save Money Daily and Indeed Get Something For Nothing!

School’s back in session here in the Royal Saving Academy. It’s time to get serious about our studies, get your highlighter ready and pull out a notebook to brainstorm because we’re going to get all scholarly about saving money, Lords and Ladies.

I often get asked by folks who are wanting to make their lives a bit more frugal where to even begin. I think we (the Queen included) can get so overwhelmed with the many ways available to save that we quickly begin to try to do EVERYTHING we can to save money – we clip coupons, plant a garden, make our own household cleaners, pack the lunches, repurpose items, regift items, freezer cook for 60 days, sew clothes, make our own greeting cards, build our own furniture, work out at home, and and and and ok, I think you get the idea. We burn brightly for a short period of time and then . . . then we burn out, return to old habits of eating out, overspending, and being mindless with our finances.

And yet, we’ve talked before in Frugal 101 about how the best changes to make – the ones that really last – are Two Degree Turns. After awhile, these small, realistic, subtle changes add up to a much bigger things. Whether it’s eating well, managing your clutter (gah, I am so bad at this!), using coupons, or balancing the checkbook, your biggest and most successful victories come from initial small changes. And once you’ve mastered one small change, then you can add another, then another, and before you know it you’re a money saving maniac (and a consistent one at that).

So I’m beginning a series of Frugal Living 101 Posts called a “A Few of My Favorite Frugal Things,” filled with simple quick tips that can improve your finances and your life. This week, simply three different resources to check out if you’re looking for where to begin saving money.

1) If you haven’t already, read the book The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey. This was the beginning of the beginning for us. We realized that we didn’t want to live a life that revolved around payments – always owing someone something. I honestly can’t remember if we began listening to Dave Ramsey first or found the book first (kind of like the whole chicken and the egg debate, it doesn’t really matter since they kind of reinforce each other). Estimated time to begin a new life through reading the book = 2 hours.

2) Get a subscription to All You Magazine (or pick up a copy in store to check it out). You can only purchase this magazine to my knowledge at Walmart or occasionally Dollar General. It’s not only filled with great tips on saving money, living healthfully and beautifully, but it also is chock full of coupons. Basically it’s a magazine that more than pays for itself. Plus, it’s fun. In store it retails for $2.49 but right now on Amazon, you can get it at about $1.66/issue. {Editor’s Note: Or get it from Frugal Femina for about $1.53/issue.} It’s great light reading has quick and easy tips (kind of like the 2 Degree Differences we’ve been talking about) to save money over the long haul. I think what I love about this magazine the most is the “real”-ness of it. The models look like people I know, the ideas are EASY (you don’t have to be a master chef, a master crafter, a master gardener to take on the recipes, projects, or ideas), it doesn’t usually make me want stuff like other magazines do, and it’s still entertaining and helpful. Estimated time reading/clipping coupons from All You = 1 hour (probably broken up over 15 minute periods).

3) Watch Better TV. No, I don’t mean turn off Oprah (although in the long run, that’s probably a good tip at least the majority of the time). I’m referring to the great TV Show put out by Better Homes and Garden called Better.tv. Look for a local listing or just snuggle up with your computer and watch clips online. There’s a great series called Save More, Waste Less on there right now (as in save more money, time, and natural resources and waste less of those same things and *um* bonus points if you can figure out who the corporate sponsor was for that one). Estimated time to learn a few new tips = 30 minutes for the entire show or each segment runs around 2 minutes and you can pick and choose only what applies to you.

So now you have homework. I challenge you to choose one of these three options this week and check ‘em out. Basic ways to save money that you can apply without a huge upheaval or overhaul of your life or finances.

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Guest Post by Sarah from I Blame My Mother

Usually when I think of going green, I think that I have to spend lots of money to do it. These suggestions actually help you SAVE money. I have cut back a ton on my household supplies by using methods that would be considered green. If you don’t buy into all that green stuff, then you can use these ideas for their money-saving merits alone.

1. Cloth napkins – It takes little or no sewing skills to accomplish these, and they will last almost forever! Yes, you will have to launder them, but just throw them in your towel load. They don’t take up much room. I have girls and they love our pretty napkins. I made napkins for home use out of a clearance tablecloth and bought cloth hankies and pack them in my girls lunch boxes. (They are fancy!!) Use an old tablecloth, leftover fabric, whatever you have laying around. You CAN sew four (semi) straight seams. Never buy napkins again. Simple.

2. Stop Shampooing – Do you know how hard shampoo is on your hair? Cut your shampoo bill in half by only shampooing every other day (your hair will thank you) or go the “no-poo route.” It isn’t an exact science, so you’ll have to experiment with what works for you. I have oily, thin, wavy hair and it’s working for me. I’m the one that would buy $20 shampoo at the salon. Now I use conditioner, a little baking soda and vinegar a few times a week, and I’m all set. There is the original No-Poo method HERE, the Curly Girl method HERE (reinvent your curls!)….and I’m sure you can find more. Play with it. Get through the first few weeks and you’ll love it. Bottom line – better for your hair and save money on less or no shampoo.

3. Stop using your deodorant – You won’t stink. Now before you think I have lost all hope at normal hygiene, you will be replacing your deodorant with a crystal deodorant stick. It costs about $6.00 and lasts an entire year. I know with deals and coupons deodorant is one of those products you often get free, but it could be harmful. The Crystal is aluminum- and paraben-free. Antiperspirants have an aluminum-based compound as their main ingredient which are controversial ingredients and, potentially, unhealthy. Same story with parabens. If you don’t believe the hype on unhealthy additives, then the best selling point is that it NEVER will leave a white residue on your little black dress. I hate when that happens!

4. Stop throwing away the trash – Keep those glass containers. Empty apple sauce, spaghetti sauce, pickle jars, etc., are all great containers to store leftovers. They don’t pick up smells from other foods. They are safer than plastics (come on, admit that plastics can leach into foods). They even freeze well (I make a huge batch of spaghetti sauce and freeze in glass containers. Just remember to leave room for expansion). They are FREE if you are already using the products that come in them.

5. Remember to bring your bags – I love my reusable bags. I have THESE net bags which are compact, hold a ton, and are washable. They do have a bit of cost upfront which I will eventually make back because Albertson’s gives a reusable bag credit (only $.05 per bag…but still, it adds up). If you don’t want to spend much money, buy the bags that about every store is offering for less than a buck….or use all of those tote bags that somehow accumulate in the house.

6. Diva Cup – Very easy to use, enough said.

7. Soap Nuts? Are you nuts? I recently bought a 2-pound bag of soap nuts for $26.95. They will last me well over a year (over 320 loads) AND they really do clean well and soften. No need for detergents or fabric softener. I would have to find a 32 load bottle of high efficiency ALL for $2.70 to beat that.

So there you have it. You CAN combine frugal and green. Every little bit helps (the pocketbook and the planet)! What frugal and green combos can you come up with?

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On June 20th and 21st, you can buy a Frosty at Wendy’s, and they will donate $0.50 to the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. The Foundation helps find homes for foster children.

Also, if you send a free Father’s Day e-card, they will donate $0.25 to the Foundation.

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