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efore DD was born and throughout her infancy I've pondered disposable versus cloth diapers.

For me the benefit and the cost of using disposable diapers exceeded switching to cloth. But another reason is I just don't know where to find cloth diapers!

I had DD use Huggies and Pampers the first couple of months out of convenience and to save time. After she turned 3 months I swithed to the cheaper brands, namely White Cloud and Parent's Choice and found both to be better than Huggies.

I had a huge problem with Huggies leaking and since I switched to generic diapers I save more money, have no leaks, save time and hassle by using disposables.

I can't imagine being out of the house and having to stuff soiled cloth diapers back into my bag to clean later.

For those of us who fail to plan what to cook ahead of time,Snacksby can be a great help.
I would stand in front of my open refrigerator while the power bill goes up, my stomach growls, and I rack my brain with all the recipes I know (and I don't know very much).

It combines all the ingredients from your pantry and generates recipes based on your list. Now if you only have salt, a piece of bread, and old moldy cheese then I think not even McGyver himself can help you out on that one.
I found some ideas for recipes I had not thought of. For me this is a great money saver as well because I can use and combine the products I have at home to cook instead of rushing out to buy some missing ingredient.

I remember there being another similar recipe generator out there but I don't remember what it is.

So what's on the menu tonight? Rack of Lamb..tuna sandwich...tofu?

Snacksby is a different, easier kind of recipe site. You tell us what you've got in your fridge, in your pantry, or just what you're looking to find in a recipe, even how much of each ingredient and wham!, we let you know what your options are.

Just like any diet there are claims of a miracle pill or a revolutionary product that will get you to lose weight.

Oprah's Debt Diet is a great place to start if you haven't already reviewed your debt health or planned the best way to pay off your debt.

What I like about the program is #1 it is free! When you begin the program you understand your spending habits and learn ways to save, applying remaining cash to your debts. The plan also involves worksheets that provide an easy way to organize and record your finances.

Some of these tips include:


- Don't carry credit cards in your purse (only debit/ATM)

-Write checks, pay cash

-Turn down credit line increases

-Take a look at your calendar and note any special events that may cost money.

-Complete your spending plan by making the best estimate of your upcoming bills and other needs for the month. Tweak the payments in all categories to determine the minimum amounts that can be spent without creating a sense of deprivation.

-Don't forget to include an amount for your savings cushion so you have a resource available for emergencies.

-Calculate your cash flow. What is the amount left over after you subtract the total expenses from the net income you will have for the month?



Thanks Oprah!

My family and I were at Barnes and Nobles yesterday when the Impulse Shopper Fiend appeared and tempted me with books to purchase. I struggled to maintain sanity and did not buy anything. It helps to think about saving for bigger things to buy later like that big screen TV or a travel destination within the next month.

I don't believe that people should save every minute because life is too short not to enjoy experiences now. Having a spending limit and sorting through priorities will help to achieve these things and enable a more balanced financial diet.

Many Moms understand the value of clipping coupons because in the long run coupons can save hundreds within a given year. There is more good news for the Frugal Coupon Clipping Mom. Teri's Grocery Game proves to be an invaluable source of insider deals from your local grocery store. The Grocery Game was also featured a few weeks ago by the Today Show.

You gain access to Teri's List by signing up for a $1.00 4 week trial membership at which you can cancel anytime. The GG message board is a fabulous spot to gain insight and tips from other moms. There are five lists in total from which to choose from, mine include Fry's, Safeway, Albertson's, Walgreens, and CVS. The great thing about each store list is Teri has taken the liberty to highlight each item; black for regular sale items, blue for items you should stock up on, and green for items that are free.The list is organized as followed:

Item Description
Original Price
Sale Price
Manufacturer's Coupon (from newspaper)
Store Coupon
Final Price
Amount Saved

Why can't I just do this on my own?
...members of The Grocery Game eliminate all of those time consuming hours and usually save even more time and money than most "coupon pros". Even "coupon pros" can make costly mistakes. Just because an item is on sale doesn't mean its time to play your coupon. The Grocery Game databases differentiate between "phantom sales" and "rock bottom" sales, saving members even more money. Now, the best possible savings are quickly accessible to "coupon pros", busy professionals, overworked moms, single adults and anyone who wants to cut their grocery bill by as much as half or even more.



UPDATE Before You decide if Grocery Game is for you check out these other sites as well:


mschluckbier Wrote:
The problem with the grocery game is that it makes you pay for information that is readily available at MANY other sites for free. My favorites are

HotCoupon World and Families.com, as well as Refund Cents. I am a HUGE coupon advocate, but am a huge advocate of saving any money that needs not be spend and people who just look a little further down the google page, can find the information for free, very easily.

Meredith wrote: Try budget101.comit's like the grocery game but free.