Anybody Have a Coupon For Straight Bones?

October 30, 2008 · Filed Under · 2 Comments 

I could really use one right now! The x-ray below is that of my 4 year old daughter. Her big brother was chasing her on the front lawn a few days ago, she tripped, he landed on top of her like an NFL linebacker and this x-ray is the result. A broken clavicle, or shoulder blade for the anatomically challenged. She will be fine but keeping her arm immobile has been the biggest challenge for my wife and I. I actually caught her climbing our chain link fence the day after this happened! What is it with kids and injuries, they seem to feel no pain, or they just prefer to ignore it when something fun is in the air. Please send your coupons ASAP!

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Tips On Saving Money This Winter

October 27, 2008 · Filed Under · 1 Comment 

I am always on the lookout for ways to lower costs. With this in mind, I have found several posts on this beautiful Monday morning that I wanted to share. Hope they can help you out as much as they helped me.

  • Winter Checklist - 99 Ways to Get Ready For Winter - Danelle at Homemaker Barbi put together this great lists of things to do to get ready for the cold. Many of these will save you a lot of money in the long run. From clothing to vehicles to your house to family stuff, this list is a great resource.
  • Save Money By Shopping Backwards - Jennifer at The Gift Therapist drops the knowledge with some very practical ways to lower your costs when it comes to holiday shopping. My favorite, “Consider group gifts rather than individual gifts. Give one larger gift for an entire office, family or organization to enjoy. This can easily be done for under $20 if you plan ahead!”
  • Great Online Deals on Last-Minute Halloween Costumes - Erin at Coupon Cravings shares the knowledge on some last minute ways to dress up for the spooky night this Friday. I always enjoy the tips and money saving coupons that Erin shares. Go check out her blog.
  • Thrifty Thursday: Hemming Pants - This post at Saving Young got me thinking about learning to do some of my own tailoring. As my waistline is currently like a yo-yo, this would definitely be much easier on my wallet. This blog is a new read of mine and offers some great tips and advice!

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

I Was On TV Today & I Am Going Bald!

October 23, 2008 · Filed Under , · 10 Comments 

This is kinda cool! This morning I had the privilege of being on Wake Up!, a morning TV show here in Northern California on our local NBC affiliate. It was a lot of fun to share the benefits of using my website and online coupons to the folks that live in my area! Oh, by the way, watching myself on TV really made me realize that my receding hairline is only getting worse. Getting old sucks! But anyways, here is the video:

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Trick Or Treat, Just Not At Full Price

October 21, 2008 · Filed Under · 5 Comments 

Looking forward to a fun Halloween with my 3 kids! I have fond memories of dressing up with a plastic mask costume with the tiny eye holes and the rubber band that goes around your head. The condensation would then build up on the inside of the mask and you would have water running down your face constantly and were just miserable as your eye lashes would rub against it and drive you crazy. But the huge pillow case of candy made it well worth the suffering!

I hope these Halloween coupons can help you save some money. I will keep this page updated until the end of October.

 Baby Center.com - - FREE Shipping on your $49+ online order, Cute Baby Costumes!, Coupon Code: FREESHIP49, Expiration: 10/26/08.
Buy Costumes.com - - Save 10% OFF your $50+ order, Coupon Code: zombie10, Expiration: 10/31/08.
Celebrate Express.com - - Free shipping on your $50+ order, Coupon Code: RBSFS08, Expiration: 10/31/08.
Costumes by ShinDigz - - Save 10% OFF your $100+ online order, Coupon Code: SZCJC8, Expiration: 12/31/08.
Costume SuperCenter.com - - FREE Expedited Shipping on your 70+ Costume order, Coupon Code: SCARE70, Expiration: 10/26/08.
Extreme Halloween.com - - FREE Shipping on your $55+ online order, Coupon Code: CJGROUND, Expiration: 12/31/08.
Factory Card & Party Outlet.com - - Save $10 OFF your $50+ online order, Coupon Code: AFFTENFTY8, Expiration: 12/31/08.
Lillian Vernon.com - - Save 15% OFF your $59+ order, Coupon Code: 358860100, Expiration: 10/31/08.
One Step Ahead.com - - Save 15% OFF your $100+ order thru this LINK, Coupon Code: BABY15P, Expiration: 11/30/08.
Oriental Trading.com - - FREE Shipping on your $60+ online order, Coupon Code: None Needed, Expiration: 10/31/08.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Brother, Can You Spare A Dime!

October 13, 2008 · Filed Under · Comment 

Despite the stock market crash and the fact my retirement fund now resembles my 4 year old daughter’s savings account, I refuse to let it get me down. I say, “Turn that frown upside down. Let a smile be your umbrella!”

Here are the 10 best ways to get through this very unsettling period:

  1. Learn to love the taste of squirrel.
  2. Cut all the fingers off your gloves.
  3. Buy all the Bing Crosby CD’s you can find.
  4. Pick up a sluice box off ebay.com and start panning immediately.
  5. Learn how to play a clawhammer banjo.
  6. Institute a family ‘radio listening’ night.
  7. Enroll in a folk dance class at your local junior college.
  8. Start making moonshine in the basement.
  9. Start really looking forward to some great new Blues music.
  10. Be comfortable with change and welcome it!

But in all seriousness, we are a very capable society and great at finding ways to keep thriving. This chapter in our history will be no different. We will adapt. Whether by being more frugal, or more open to change in our lifestyle, history has shown that we will be just fine.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Great Tips For Bargain Christmas Gift Giving

October 10, 2008 · Filed Under , · 3 Comments 

Every once in a while something comes along that I just have to share. With the economy, housing market, and stock market in the toilet, this Christmas will be one where my wife and I will really be looking to have a budget when it comes to gift giving. But we still want to give thoughtful gifts! So when I watched the great advice my buddy Jennifer Melnick Carota, aka The Gift Therapist, gave on her recent ‘gift giving’ video I just had to ask her if I could post in on my blog. She said, “Please share Kyle!” So here is the video. I hope you will find it as useful as I did!

YouTube Preview Image

Here is what I really liked about her advice:

  • Shop sales all year long, not just around Christmas.
  • ALWAYS shop with Cash!!
  • Have a plan. Know what gifts you are looking for and for whom.
  • Shop at discount stores like TJ Maxx and Big Lots.
  • Put together a thoughful gift basket by using smaller, inexpensive gifts.
  • Buy in bulk and break it up into seperate gifts!

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Live Frugal, Stop Complaining, and Be Happy

October 7, 2008 · Filed Under · Comment 

(Note: This post is a little different than my regular banter but something I wanted to share.)

I once read a study that people that complain about their health are those with more health problems. Over the past couple years, I have been trying to complain less and instead focus on what I do have in my life and not what I do not have. To me, this is the major essence of frugal living. Since I have done this, I have noticed that my complaining has reduced. I use to complain to my wife and friends as a way of excusing myself from doing anything to make my situation better. And it did not matter what the situation was, could be my financial situation, my situation at work, whatever. So I picked up the tip of focusing on how I want things to be, rather than how they actually are. By doing this, I was finally in charge of my lifestyle and my own happiness.

By NO means am I saying I never complain. My wife can vouch for that one! But I have learned to take my complaint to the correct person. If I am unhappy with something at work, I don’t complain to my wife. Likewise, if I am unhappy with my wife, I don’t complain at work. Take the complaint directly to the person creating the challenge, and only to them. This has worked wonders for me. If you are the type of person who finds yourself complaining to anyone that will listen you should should try it as well. By stopping the complaining you will free up a lot of time for the things in live that really matter. It took me a really long time to make these changes, but my life has changed dramatically for the better because I did. I have also noticed that I don’t attract complainers to me any more, which is a very nice side-effect. Your thoughts?

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

How To Get A Great Deal On Anything

October 1, 2008 · Filed Under , · 7 Comments 

So about a week ago I noticed a nice increase in traffic to Rather-Be-Shopping.com but couldn’t figure out where it was coming from…….then a nice lady named Lisa emailed me looking for a coupon and said she found me through Reader’s Digest. I was like, huh?, wow, really?, cool!

So later that day I was at the grocery store down the street and picked up the October 2008 copy. The cover article was Get a Great Deal on Anything and sure enough the author talked about using online coupons and included my website in the story. Cool! Thanks so much Reader’s Digest for the nice honor. Next time you are bored and standing in line at the grocery store, pick it up for a minute, it has some great tips on how to save money on cars, clothes, gas, shoes, books, and a ton of other stuff.

Now I better go add more new coupons for October and Halloween! As always, please email me if you are looking for a particular coupon for a particular store and I will do my absolute best to find you a coupon and save you some dough!

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Bad Behavior has blocked 625 access attempts in the last 7 days.