Saving Money on Dance Class

My 5-year old just completed her second year of dance and her first recital. It's been a great experience for her. I'm convinced she was born to be on stage, which is quite a shock for her father and I who were born to be anywhere but the stage!

Dance class can be very expensive, the classes themselves, dance apparel, shoes, recital fees, recital costumes, the list goes on and on. And this past year has been a particular hard financial year for us. We simply could not have even afforded the dance class had it not been for the generous gift from the grandparents.

Here are some ways that I saved on the classes and other items that go along with it.

Shop around for different dance studios. We live in a metropolitan area, so there are many dance studios. I discovered that by just crossing the county line to a surburan area, that the tuition costs were much less.

Ask about a discount for siblings. If you have more than one child interested in dance, ask the studio if they will give you a break on the second child's class fees.

Purchase attire and shoes at consignment shops. Ask your studio if they require you to purchase their dance attire and shoes. Many do not. I shopped consignment shops and seasonal sales and found leotards and tap shoes for a quarter of the price that the dance studio sold theirs for.

Take your own pictures. The professional pictures were very expensive. We chose to take our own pictures of our daughter in her costumes at home. These pictures were just as good, and with all the photo deals that are available from Walgreens, Target, Snapfish and other online photo sites, I can get as many copies and sizes as I want for zero or little money.
Another option for pictures is keep an eye out for promotional deals at some of the in-house picture studios at Wal-Mart, Target, JCPenney, etc. Often you can get a small promotional package of professional pictures for just a few dollars.

Make your own video. We were not allowed to video the actual recital (because they wanted you to purchase the $50 dvd). But, we could video the dress rehearsal that was held on the same stage. My husband videoed the rehearsal, and edited it using windows movie maker, and we have a very good video record of the event for free!

These tricks helped us to afford an activity for our daughter that otherwise would not have been possible right now. What do you do to save on extra-curricular activites for the kids? I would love to know.


This is part of of Works For Me Wednesday at We are That Family.

Aldi Produce Deals

The best produce deals at Aldi this week:

Corn on the Cob, 4-pk - .99

Cantalope - .99 ea

Blueberries, 1 pint - .99

Honeydew - .99 ea

Stawberries, 16oz pk - .99

Sale runs Wednesday, June 30 - Tuesday, July 6.

Groupon: $25 Nutty Guys for $10

Today on Groupon, you can get $25 of nuts, dried fruit and other goodies from Nutty Guys for only $10 Bucks!

They also have a good selection of organic nuts and dried fruits.

Go here to sign up with Groupon.

Target: FREE Pampers Wipes

Right now, Target has Pampers Sensitive Wipes 64 count, on price cut for $1.97.

Use the $2/1 coupon from the 6/6 P&G insert to get them for FREE!

Kroger: Healthy Life Bread .79

Right now, Kroger has Healthy Life 100% Whole Grain sandwich bread, Hamburger and Hotdog buns on sale for $1.29 ea

Use the .25/1 coupon (will double) from the 5/23 SmartSource and get it for .79 per pack!

I love this bread. It tastes good and is one of the very few store bought breads that does NOT contain high fructose corn syrup.

Kroger: Spin the Wheel for Free Stuff

Go here and register/login for a chance a free item from Kroger. Here's how it works: You must register your Kroger Plus Card with the site, it's easy and free. Then each day you can login and spin the virtual wheel for a free prize. Prizes include a 4 pack of Angel Soft toilet paper, A&W Rootbeer, Energizer batteries and many more!

When you win, it will be added to your Kroger Plus card just like an e-coupon.

I won a box of Tazo Tea and picked it up on my weekly shopping trip yesterday.

You can spin once a day. It took me about 5 tries before I won something.

Target: Pedigree Dog Food Deal

There's a good deal on Pedigree Dog Food at Target this week.

Purchase two (2) 20lb bags of Pedigree and receive a $5 Gift Card for your next purchase of anything!

Here's how to work it:

Purchase two 20-lb bags at $10.99 ea
Use two $2 off coupon printable (must register)
OOP: $17.98
Receive $5 dollar GC making it $12.98 for two 20lb bags of Pedigree.

Flea Market Today and Tomorrow

This weekend is the Nashville Flea Market at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds.

Saturday 7a - 6p
Sunday 7a - 4p

Admission is free
Parking is $4.00

There's always something interesting at the flea market!

Nashville Humane Assoc: Kittens are BOGO!

Now here's a BOGO that you don't see often! This weekend, Friday June 25 - Sunday, June 27, you can adopt one kitten and get a second one free! This is part of Adopt a Cat Month at Nashville Humane.

Adult cats are $25 each and all pets are spayed/nuetered and up to date on shots when you bring them home.

Contact Nashville Humane for all the details. 615-352-1010

P&G E-Coupons are Available Again!

I'm happy to see this!

P&G E-saver coupons are available again. These electronic coupons can be loaded onto your Kroger card for additional savings on P&G products.

There are probably about 50 coupons available but some of my favorites:

.50/1 Cascade
.50/1 Dawn
$1/1 Always
$3/1 Charmin 24 pack
$1/1 Various Pampers Diapers products (swaddlers/cruisers/Easy Ups/Underjams)

These are good until June 30th.

Go here to sign up or sign in and load your e-coupons. These coupons will not double, but you can stack them with a paper coupon to maximize your savings.

Publix Shopping List

Here are my picks for Publix this week:

BOGO Items (price listed is the half price)

Smart Balance Milk $1.79
Use $2/1 from 5/13 RP or Printable
= FREE

Chex Mix $1.25
Use .50/1 (doubles) Printable
= .25 ea

Lipton Family Size Tea Bags (24 ct) $1.07
-.40/1 upcoming 6/27 RP (doubles)
=.27 ea

Velveeta Shells and Cheese Dinner $1.29
- $1/2 From Kroger Home Mailer
= .79

Kelloggs Special K Cereal or Lowfat Granola $1.99
- $1/2 Printable or printable
= $1.49


Produce (check your Kroger Home Mailers for a $4 off $20 produce coupon that can be used at Publix):

Zucchini .99/lb

Yellow Squash .99/lb

Green Beans .99/lb

Peaches .99/lb

Eggplant .99/lb

Okra .99/lb

Yellow Corn on cob .15 ea


This is my grocery list for the week. For a complete list of all the Publix sale items with coupon matchups, visit Southernsavers.com

Aldi Produce Deals

Here are the best produce deals at Aldi this week:

Nectarines - .29 each

Peaches - .29 each

Plums - .29 ea

Strawberries - .99/lb

Cherries - $1.49/ lb

Sale runs through June 29

Weekly Shopping Wrap Up

I've been lax on posting my grocery shopping of late. Just so much going on, and not enough time to get everything done. This week I hit Publix only. They had alot of great produce deals going on and I had a $4 off $20 Produce coupon from a Kroger home mailer and a $1.50 off berries Publix coupon. After coupons and sales, I ended up with $51 dollars of fresh produce for $27.

I've been busy preparing and freezing much of it for later use.

The sale I shoppped at Publix is now over (sorry - just couldn't get it posted before) but several of the produce deals are still going on this week.

Total for week: $46.81

Favorite Links: Frugal Billionaires and more!

Ran across this article about 5 Billionaires that live below their means and how they do it. According to the article, Warren Buffet, one of the richest men in the world still lives in a home he purchased for $31,000 many years ago in Omaha Nebraska. Something to aspire to!

If you're constantly broke and don't know why, the answer may be sitting in your driveway. Check out this article about why our obsession with cars is burying us in debt.

Reorganizing the Bathroom Closet

I've been taking some time off from blogging to concentrate on some work issues and also household issues.

One of those household issues is my closets. They are out of control. The worst offender, was the bathroom closet. My bathroom closet serves multiple purposes. It is the linen closet (bath ,bed and table), my medicine cabinet, where my stockpile of toiletries are kept and also just a home for odds and ends. My stockpile had taken over the whole closet and it was assured that you would be hit by some falling object each time you opened the door. So here's how I organized:

1.) I took inventory of my toiletries. Wow! I had a huge amount of stuff, so much that I didn't even know what I had. So, I sorted and donated alot of it so that I could fit it all onto one shelf in the closet. Don't worry, I still will not run out of any shampoo, bodywash or deodorant for at least 6 months or more.

I have found that putting things in baskets or some kind of container helps keep them organized and prevents things from falling over on one another or getting shuffled around. I designated a basket for the following categories:
- Kid/Baby toiletries
- Dental & deodorant (yea, those 2 things don't really go together, but they all fit nicely into the basket)
- Skin (bodywash, lotion, etc)
- Hair (shampoo, conditioner, hairspray, etc)
- Paper products (TP, feminine products, wet wipes, etc) - because of the size, this actually ended up on the floor of the closet - but it's nice and neat now.

* Frugal Note: for inexpensive storage containers, check the thriftstore. I find plastic baskets for as little as .25 cents and the wicker and lined baskets for about a dollar. Way less than some specialty store or even WalMart or Target. They don't match, but if they're just going to be in your closet where no one but you sees them, who cares!

2.) I re-purposed some spice racks and hung them on the inside wall of the closet and one on the inside of the door for medicines and medical supplies. These shelves are all high enough so that even if little hands managed to get through the locked door, they could not reach the meds. I organized as such:
- Dog/Cat Meds (yep, my animals have their own shelf of meds)
- Cold/Allergy meds
- Pain relievers
- Prescription meds
- Vitamins/all natural meds
- First Aid supplies
- Band Aids

3.) The next issue was the bedsheets. We have tons of bedsheets, and actually only use 3 sets on a regular basis. I got rid of some (still probably not enough). To keep the sets together, I folded the flat sheet and fitted sheet cases and placed them inside one of matching pillow cases. When I change my bed, I can just grab the pillow case and everything I need should be inside.

4.) My breakdown of the closet shelves are now the following:
- 1 shelf for bed linens
- 2 shelves for bath linens
- 1 shelf for toiletries
- 1 shelf for odds and ends that need a home (beach towels, heating pads, table linens)

It feels so much better to be able to open my bathroom closet and not get struck by a UFO! Have you got a tip for organizing closets or stockpiles? Let me know, I have several other areas I want to tackle.

This post is part of Works for Me Wednesday at We are That Family!

$3 off Science Diet Treats

Right now, you can sign up with Science Diet and print a $3/1 Science Diet Dog Treats. It's being reported that this coupon will make them free at PetSmart but it will be a good deal anywhere.

You should be able to print the coupon twice by hitting your back button after the first print.

Thanks Faithful Provisions!

Hot Goldfish Coupon

Right now you can get a .35 cent coupon for Goldfish Crackers here. Often these go on sale at Kroger and other stores for $1. Pair the sale with this coupon and you've got a great deal.

Goldfish coupons are rare, so get yours now. They will go fast.

Old Navy - $2 Tank Tops on Saturday

Old Navy will be having another One Day Wonder sale on Saturday. Tank tops will be $2 each.

As usual with this sales, get there early and be prepared for a crowd. There is a limit of 5 per person. Also, check out their facebook page for a chance at a coupon (play game - click around for it)

Hot Eggo Coupon

Right now, you can get a Target $1 off Eggo Coupon here and here.

It's being reported that Target has Eggo Waffles marked down to $1.75, if that is right, you get Eggos for .75 cents! That's a pretty cheap breakfast!

FREE Redbox Code on Facebook!

If you "like" Redbox on Facebook today, you can get a free movie code good for June 21.

We love Redbox! It's one of the cheapest ways to see a movie!

HOT Cellfire Coupon this Afternoon!

Today at 3pm PST (that's Pacific Standard Time), cellfire will release a special $$ off your purchase coupon.

We don't know how much the coupon is worth yet, but rumors are that it could be up to $10! This coupon can be loaded onto your Kroger card and used on your next grocery purchase.

Go here at 3pm PST TODAY and get it. It will go fast

$10 off $10 coupon at Medco

Right now, Medco, an online drugstore is offering a $10 off $10 purchase coupon and .99 cent shipping for anything! Use code MHS10 at checkout.

They have lots of natural and organic products available. Folks are reporting being able to get great deals on 7th Generation products, organic baby shampoo, sunscreen, etc. I was able to get special, all natural, no chemical deodorant for the hubs for FREE. This deodorant is normally $6 or $7 each.

Check them out, I'm sure you can find something you would like for free.

Thanks Organic Deals

$2/1 Welch's Grape Juice Coupon!

Right now you can go to Welch's Grape Facebook page, click Like and then print a $2/1coupon for a Welch's Grape Juice 64 oz bottle.

This coupon will make it FREE when Publix puts it on sale BOGO. Get yours while it's still there!


Thanks Money Saving Mom!

Aldi Produce Deals

Here are the best produce deals at Aldi

Strawberries .99/lb

Pineapple .99 ea

Avocados .49 ea

Bananas .39/ lb

Tomatoes 3pk 1.49 ea

Sale runs through June 8

Weekly Grocery Wrap Up

This was a big week at the grocery store. I hadn't been grocery shopping in over 2 weeks! I've been sick and so much other stuff going on that I just couldn't go. Hubs did get a few things to tide us over and over the course of the 2 weeks spent about $40.

The items I am buying are evolving some now. My family is transitioning to new work schedules and summer camp that have different lunch requirements. I am searching for nutritious food that is easy , and doesn't require refrigeration or heating. Any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated!

One thing that is saving us on the grocery budget is our garden! We're actually eating out of our garden. So far, we've harvested lettuce, radishes, onions, and peas.

I shopped Kroger and Publix this week. I am not going to list out the Publix deals because the sale ended today so no one could use the information anyway. I will point out a couple of deals at Kroger that I did:

Kraft Salad Dressing
Sale Price: $1.66 ea
- .55/1 SS 5/2 or printable
= $1.11 ea
Receive a catalina coupon for $1 when you buy 2,
$2 when you buy 3 or
$3 when you buy 4
(if you buy 4, use the .55 coupon , it makes it .36 ea)

Harvestland Chicken (all natural chicken)
Sale: 25% off
Use $1 off $5 fresh chicken coupon from Kroger My Magazine "Taking On the World" home mailer.
Makes for a good deal
Total for week: $ 77.57 Not as bad as I expected. Hopefully the budget will all even out at the end of the month.