Money Saving Tip #111: Make Your Own Fruit Cups

Buying pre-packaged fruit cups made from Dole, Del Monte, or even a store brand can be quite costly. They may seem convenient, but they can be a waste of money. Make your own fruit cups. A store brand package of peaches or pears floating in gel can cost as little as $2.00 per package (50 cents each).

I purchased a 50 oz. jar of store brand applesauce. With that, I can make 12 4-oz. cups. The total cost per fruit cup is less than 9 cents each.

Money Saving Tip #110: When to Use Your Dryer

Heating up the large drum in your dryer requires a lot of energy. Rather than doing your laundry divided into several days, do it all in one day and back to back. Because of our work schedules, it is easier for me to do our laundry on the weekends.

Whatever day I choose based on other activities planned, I plan to spend half my day doing all my laundry. Since the dryer usually takes a little longer than the washing machine washes, I am ready to dry clothes (or linens) as soon as the dryer beeps.

Cycling the clothes to dry as soon as the dryer is finished means that the dryer is not going to have to work as hard just to heat up.

Money Saving Tip #109: Cut Back or Eliminate Soda

Nine years ago I stopped drinking soda because I was pregnant with my first child. And, in the past nine years I haven't gone back. Soda is terribly expensive especally if you buy name brand. If you want to save a big chunk of money, cut back or elimate soda all together.

If the thought of quitting cold-turkey sounds too difficult, try out by reducing your soda intake by 50% at first. One you hit that milestone, cut back to 1-2 per week, then cut back to only drinking soda at social events.

Instead of soda, I drink water or water flavored with a drink packet. My savings are terrific. (Now, if only I could get my husband to follow this advice.)

Money Saving Tip #108: Organic Produce?

Depending on who you talk to, people are either pro-organic or not. If you prefer to buy organic produce for your family, you should know what fruits and vegetables are necessary to buy organic and ones that don't need to be organic. Save your money on the produce that doesn't need to be organic.

I found a terrific website a couple of months ago that studies the pesticides in our produce. The group publishes a list every year of fruits and vegetables and classifies them into the Clean 15 and the Dirty Dozen.

Here is the 2011 list you can find at foodnews.org:

Clean 15: onions, corn, pineapple, avocado, asparagus, sweet peas, mangoes, eggplant, cantaloupe, kiwi, cabbage, watermelon, sweet potatoes, grapefruit, and mushrooms. These don't need to be organic.

Dirty Dozen: apples, celery strawberries, peaches, spinach, imported nectarines, imported graes, sweet bell peppers, potatoes, blueberries, lettuce, and kale/collard greens. These should be purchased as organic.

Money Saving Tip #107: Dryer Settings

When you dry your clothes, you have the option of hang drying them or utilizing your clothes dryer. If you opt for using the dryer, follow this advice: Set your dryer on the auto- sensor feature rather than the timed dry setting.

Some loads of laundry can dry in less than 30 minutes wheras some loads need closer to an hour to dry. If you use the sensor feature on your dryer, it will detect the dampness in the laundry and adjust accordingly.

If you find that your laundry stills needs more time in the dryer, use the timed setting at 5 minutes until it is done.

Money Saving Tip #106: Don't Toss Your Junk Mail

I have gotten some of my best coupons through the junk mail that comes in my mailbox. You would be surprised at the savings that are sent to the "current resident." The other day I got a $20.00 instant cash card for Sports Authority. There are no strings attached. I don't have to open a credit card or anything else.

Kohl's is another great store that sends $10.00 cash cards to my home. I use those cards to start stocking up on Christmas and birthday gifts for my kids. Kohl's has a toy section that is always discounted. They sell Crayola, Barbie, Mattel, Littest Pet Shops, games, puzzles, coloring books and so much more. I have walked out of their store on several occasions by not spending a dime.

Pay attention to the circulars sent to your home. Red Plum and Smart Source are mailed to my home. I use these to double up on the coupons I already cut out of my Sunday newspaper.

So, read through all your junk to get great savings.

Money Saving Tip #105: Check Your Credit

You are entitled to receive one free credit report each year from each of the credit bureaus. I encourge you to check your credit to ensure that no fraudulent activity is taking place against your identity or finances. If you find some transactions that you did not authorize, you can contact the companies to file an affidait stting that you did not authorize the charges or transactions.

Failing to check your credit could result in collections agencies coming after ou for payment. If needed, you can place a fraud alert on your credit.

If you are applying for your free annual credit report, don't get trapped into buying any protection plans or automatic credit checks thoughout the year. You should not need to enter in your credit card number to get your free credit report.

Credit Bureaus: Experian, Transunion, Equifax

Money Saving Tip #104: Don't Buy a High Chair for your Baby

If you are a first time parent, you may be tempted to go out and buy every awesome baby accessory and piece of furniture. If you are caught in this trap, you will fnd that your bank account will soon be drained.

Something that you may be attracted to is a huge high chair. A separate high chair is an extra piece of furniture that you don't need. I have 3 children and have never owned one. Rather than spending well over a hundred dollars, I opted for a booster seat. My booster seat fits on one of my kitchen chairs and pulls right up to the table. Most come with an optional tray.

My booster seat reclines and has an adjustable seat level. It even has padding. The best part is that I only spent about $25.00 for the seat. We use a booster seat for our kids until they are about 3 years old.

Money Saving Tip #103: Use of Coupons: Proper Organization

Properly organizing coupons is essential to maximizing your savings. There is no one better way to organizing. The way I organize may be a benefit or a disaster to you. My good friend Vanessa organizes her coupons completely different than me. I will go over both our methods.

I use a 3-ring binder and baseball card pages to organize. I label each page with a particular type of product. I have sections for laundry detergent, snacks, drinks, meat, make-up, deodorant, hair care, lotion, etc. Then, I organize my coupons by expiration date on a page. Next, I organize my pages by the isles I visit while grocery shopping. Though this may sound like a lot of work, it is the best method for me. In the front of my pages, I keep a small pouch, ink pen, and a calculator. I use the pouch to store my coupons as I go through the store. I keep all the coupons I will be using in the pouch until I get to the cash register. I use the pen to cross off items on my grocery list. The calcular is used to determine the discount rates when something is a percentage off. I also keep coupons for restaurants, vehicle repair shops, and ads from handymen in my folder.

My friend doesn't clip any coupons up front. She uses an accordian style binder to store her coupons. She prints a list from www.southernsaver.com that tells her all the coupons that are contained in her insert. Then, before she goes grocery shopping, she compares her list to items which are on sale. She will then clip the coupons she plans to use during that grocery trip.

There are several other ways to organize coupons. I chose a method that works best for me. The reason it is important to organize is because you will be able to maximize your savings if you know where to find your coupons.

Money Saving Tip #102: Use of Coupons: Read the Savings Information

As I am cutting coupons from my Sunday circular, I remind you to read the coupon before you pass it up or throw it away. Let me give you an example.

I just found a promotion in the Red Plum insert promoting 9 Lives Daily Essentials Cat Food. There is a picture of a bag and 2 cans of the Daily Essential variety. There are 2 coupons in the insert. Some may think that the coupon is only for the Daily Essential formula, but I encourage you to read the coupon. The coupon is "Save $1.00 on any ONE bag of 9Lives Dry Cat Food (3.15 lbs. or larger)."

No where on the coupon does it say that you have to buy the Daily Essential variety. By reading exactly what the coupon applies toward, you can save more money by using coupons that you may have bypassed before.