You might remember my post from about a month ago.  I was nearly insane with kids gloves!  Missing, mate-less gloves were slowing us down every morning and keeping them organized was next to impossible.

I had an epiphany one morning while browsing the deals on Zulily.  I bought this really neat shoe organizer and use it to keep our gloves in order!  In the Spring, I’ll fold this up, gloves and all and put it into a storage bin for next year.

You can organize your family’s gloves with Shoe Organizers for about $12.99!  It is so worth it!

And for those of you who never heard of so many gloves, you obviously live in the south and probably have more shoes than gloves.  It works just as well for that purpose.  :)

Let’s talk taxes…and let’s talk saving some money!  Having your taxes professionally filed is not necessary for most households where one or two income earners work at a job and bring home a paycheck.

In the past, you may have used a tax professional because you could not keep up with all the tax laws.  This is no longer a reason to pay someone to do your taxes.  H&R Block and Turbo Tax have taken the headache out of filing your own taxes by providing you with FREE software which contains the 2012 tax laws.  These programs walk you through the process in simple, easy steps.

Both of these companies provide audit support, should you have any problems.  You can get either of these free OR get them both and see which one gives you a higher return!!

Download H&R Block At Home 2012

Download Turbo Tax 2012

Buying high-priced meat can ruin your budget.  Check out these tips for saving money on meat!

Know Your Store’s Procedures for Marking Down Meat
If you shop frequently at a store, keep an eye on the meat expiration dates and watch when they get marked down.  Or, simply ask the meat department when they mark down meats.

Shop after the Holidays for Meat
Stores stock meat heavily for the holidays.  What doesn’t sell gets marked down within the next few days.  I snapped the photo above at Walmart at 11 pm on 6/1/11.  There was a HUGE quantity of chicken marked down from Memorial Day.  I purchased 8 packages that were dated 6/5/11 and saved close to 50%.  I’ve found great pork prices after New Years and grat ham prices after Easter as well!

Shop Early in the Morning or Late at Night
This is definitely true for my stores.  My Giant Eagle marks down meats in the morning, while my Walmart marks down meats at night.  I almost never find meats marked down in the middle of the day.

Freeze Your Meat 
If you shop the meat markdowns it is important to eat it right away or freeze it right away.  Since the meats are nearing their expiration dates, you wouldn’t want to keep it in your refrigerator for too long.

Combine Meat Markdowns with Coupons when Possible
Prepackaged meats are also marked down when nearing expiration or during overstocks.  I love to combine these deals with coupons.

Budget for Meat Markdowns
Purchasing meat during markdowns will lower your budget for the following weeks.  Be sure to set aside some of your grocery budget for the next meat markdown.  If you find the markdowns and stock your freezer, you will never need to buy at full price again!

If you have a meat buying tip be sure to tell us about it in the comments.

Mixing up your own oatmeal packets is incredibly easy and a real money saver, not to mention a lot healthier.

Follow this simple recipe and add your own combination dried fruits, nuts and flavors.  Place your ingredients in snack-sized Ziploc baggies.

1/4 cup instant oatmeal
1 Tablespoon dry milk powder (or non-dairy creamer)
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 Tablespoon raisins, cranberries, freeze dried blueberries, dried bananas or other fruits
1 teaspoon nuts (optional)

When ready to eat, add approximately 1/4 cup water and microwave for 30-45 seconds, depending on how creamy you like it.

Don’t throw out your baggies!  You can reuse them to make more oatmeal packets!

Welcome to Money Saving Tip of the Day, where you can get an idea for saving money in your daily life. Check in daily for this feature, share your great tips, and go away with new ideas for saving.

Starting a “saving lifestyle” is a big step and can often be very overwhelming.  Take small steps to get your financial situation in line!  Realizing you need to make a change is the first step!

• Do without  Many people don’t realize that to meet your goals, you must go without!  Think about which little luxuries can be cut from your budget until you meet your goals.  You may find you don’t even miss them or want them back in the end.
• Scale back  If you can’t go totally without, simply scale back!  Change to generics, buy less, minimize your cell phone plan. Do what it takes!
• Use coupons and try new products  Brand loyalty costs money.  Try different brands and use coupons.
• Shop at stores like Aldi, Goodwill & the 99 Cent Store  Who needs high supermarket prices on produce when you’ve got stores like these around the corner?
• Make a price book and buy only when the item is at the rock bottom price
• Pay off loans and credit cards
• Scale back on Christmas and vacations to pay down debt
• Find small ways to earn or make extra money to help meet your goals   Got stuff?  Ebay it! Earn small amounts of money online through Swagbucks and survey sites.
• Make small changes over time.  You can’t do it all at once!  Set goals and give yourself a reasonable amount of time to accomplish them!

Welcome to Money Saving Tip of the Day where you can learn about new ways to save your hard earned money!  Share a tip and go away with a new one!

Bank fees are just not cool!  But don’t worry, you can completely avoid them! 

Many years ago I calculated the ATM fees my husband was being charged each month and I nearly fell over.  His bank was charging him $2 for every ATM transaction and other ATMs were charging him as much as $3.

My bank was not charging me a penny, in fact they were paying me interest to keep money in my checking account.  I convinced him to change banks and completely avoid ATMs that charged fees, unless it was an emergency.

11 years later we are a bank fee-free family.  Bank fees do not enter our world and they should not enter yours.  Look for ATMs and banks that do not charge fees and make changes to save money!

Welcome to Money Saving Tip of the Day, where you can get an idea for saving money in your daily life. Check in daily for this feature, share your great tips, and go away with new ideas for saving.

Last year I purchased these Stanley TimerMax Digislim Daily Digital Indoor Lamp Timers for my Christmas lights to save on electricity.  Amazon sells them in a two pack for $16.42 or you can buy them in singles for $9.84.

This helped me to get the Christmas lights on when I wanted them on, and get them turned off at a reasonable hour.  I used one for the Christmas tree and one for outdoor lights.  This definitely saved us some money in getting the lights turned off each night.

After Christmas, I found that these digital timers worked great all year for lamps!  I have used them since last January to turn on our lamps at dark and turn the lamps off at a reasonable hour.  They are a great security feature.

I can’t even estimate how much these have saved us.  It is probably not a huge amount, but they’ve definitely paid for themselves and then some, which is fine because they are really convenient!

Welcome to Money Saving Tip of the Day, where you can get an idea for saving money in your daily life. Check in daily for this feature, share your great tips, and go away with new ideas for saving.

Several years ago I had an epiphany of sorts.  As we prepared to move from a small house to a larger one, I declared clutter and knick knacks the enemy and vowed to simplify life!  This has been a moneysaver on a grand level!

I remember the day it hit me.  I was visiting friends and though they had a fairly large house, they had things piled everywhere.  I wasn’t junk or garbage, it was the aftermath of shopping too much!  An outrageous amount of toys, knick knacks and “things” really created an unwelcoming space.

We moved and I vowed to eliminate everything without a true purpose.  Now I constantly consider each item I buy and whether it has a true purpose in my home.  The last thing I want is to buy so much that it looks like “piles” or clutter. 

I still shop, just far less!  I find it is easier to clean, the house stays cleaner and there is less money spent!  I don’t miss the clutter or knick knacks and when I do shop, it is to replace something that is well used.  In the long run, thousands of dollars will be saved! 

Are you ready to declare war on clutter?  Your local Red Cross or Salvation Army will be glad to help you find a new home for your items!

Welcome to Money Saving Tip of the Day, where you can get an idea for saving money in your daily life. Check in daily for this feature, share your great tips, and go away with new ideas for saving.

Medications can be an enormous monthly expense if you are not careful.  For those who must refill prescriptions on a monthly basis, finding ways to cut costs is essential.  Gone are the days when insurance covers the prescription 100% all the time.

While trying to do the best for my family, I’ve found a few ways to cut expenses on prescription drugs.  Here are a few of my tips:

• Use a Prescription Discount   If insurance does not cover your prescription, be sure to print and use this printable coupon.  I’ve done it and saved $50/month on ONE prescription.  You can also lower your out-of-pocket, by using this card if your insurance company will reimburse you later.

• Ask for a Generic or Different Brand  This simple step can actually save you hundreds on some medications.
• Ask for a Brand Name and Use a Coupon  This may sound strange, but many name brands will offer coupons that make the brand name product cheaper than the generic.  Simply enter the brand name prescription HERE and print the coupon.  Ask your pharmacist about the cost when using the coupon.
• Ask Your Pharmacist or Doctor  This works!  Often your doctor or pharmacist can recommend a cheaper drug that does the same thing.
• Take Advantage of Express Scripts or Similar Programs   If your insurance company offers a 3 month supply for the copay of one month, be sure to look into this option.

Do you have tip for saving money that may help someone save?  Send your tips to moneysavingmadness(at)yahoo(dot)com.

Welcome to Money Saving Tip of the Day, where you can get an idea for saving money in your daily life. Check in daily for this feature, share your great tips, and go away with new ideas for saving.

Upromise is an online savings program started by Sally Mae.  You can earn money through many of their various methods:  e-coupons, online shopping, buying groceries, dining out or using the Upromise Credit card.  The money can be used towards college or you can withdraw it anytime.

I have been a member of Upromise since 2006 and have saved without even thinking about it by simply linking my store cards to my Upromise account.  I also linked my parents’ store cards!  I actually check it about once a year (today I found $56.04) and transfer the money into my kids 529 accounts straight from Upromise.

You don’t even need to have kids to use Upromise!  You can link up your cards and save automatically, then request a check!  Link your other family member’s cards too, to save even more!

Welcome to Money Saving Tip of the Day, where you can get an idea for saving money in your daily life. Check in daily for this feature, share your great tips, and go away with new ideas for saving.

One of my favorite savings tips is to buy ahead when prices are at their best.  This can go for a variety of items on your list.

• Buy kids clothing for next year season during current clearance sales.  You may have to make a guess at what size your kids will be wearing in 9 months, but I’ve pretty much found that one size up is normally a good rule of thumb.  You may be able to stock your closet at 90% off!
• Buy seasonal items at the END of the season rather than at the beginning.  If  you need to replace your patio furniture, wait until the summer is over for a deep discount!
• Buy non perishable grocery items when they are at the lowest price.  Use coupons and sales or keep an eye on deals through Amazon.
• Buy Christmas/Birthday gifts throughout the year when you see a good deal, rather than wait and pay full price.  Keeping gifts on hand that you’ve purchased on sale can greatly reduce the expense of gifts throughout the year.

I love buying ahead because it makes me feel organized.  I never feel the ”pain” of buying school clothes for three kids or needing a large amount of cash for Christmas spending.  Spending a little now, saves me A LOT later!

Welcome to Money Saving Tip of the Day, where you can get an idea for saving money in your daily life. Check in daily for this feature, share your great tips, and go away with new ideas for saving.

Hiring work to be done around the house is simple and easy, but for those that are trying to save money, it can be quite costly.  Hiring lots of work to be done may not be affordable or even reasonable!  In this economy, you must carefully consider the amount of money you invest into your home vs. the return on your investment.

These days you don’t need to be an expert in carpentry to get the job done.  The internet has a wealth of information, including video how-tos, to help!

A few years ago I decided to finish our basement and spent several hours researching drywalling online before doing it myself.  The entire project took over 9 months of our spare time, but we saved over $7,000 in labor costs and it looks great.

I’m in the middle of a painting project right now and can’t wait to see “my” finished product!  I spent $30 on a can of paint vs. paying a painter $250!

Inspire us with your DIY ideas!

Welcome to Money Saving Tip of the Day, where you can get an idea for saving money in your daily life. Check in daily for this feature, share your great tips, and go away with new ideas for saving.

Thirsty kids can really rack up a small bill.  I’ve learned to avoid those purchases by always having water on-hand in the car.  There are a few ways to go about this, choose what best suits you!

I used to pack a drink cup for each child when we went in the car, then as they got older I would have my kids fill their own water bottles.  This seemed to work for a while, and they started intentionally “forgetting” the water and begging for drinks from the drive thru or drink machine.

To avoid that, I’ve lately been picking up a 12 pack of mini water bottles from Walmart to keep in the trunk.  I’m spending $1.88 on 12, but it’s sure a money saver over a stop at the drink machine or drive thru, which can easily cost me nearly $6 for three kids.

Now they’ve got two options….pack a bottle of ice water or get a warmish thrist quencher from the trunk.  It works for me!

One way to extend the harvest is to can or freeze fruits and vegetables when they’re at the peak of the season.  Normally this is the cheapest you’ll find them, so you’ll save money in the long run.

You can check out THIS ARTICLE for tips for freezing produce.  Some produce does not freeze well, while others do great.  I’ve frozen berries, apples, peaches, corn, green beans from the garden, grapes (because my kids like them frozen), bananas for bread, and a few other items. Blanching is recommended for most vegetables. 

If you are a canner, you can probably keep a few more items like tomatoes, pickles, beets, etc.  My mom has been canning for years and normally tries to can enough of their favorite vegetables for the entire winter, all harvested from their garden.

Both my mom and grandma have/had root cellars, which are great for extending the harvest and storing fresh produce.  I would venture to say many people don’t even know what those are these days!  I vividly recall the cool air and distinct smell of my grandma’s root cellar and the shelves lined with canned vegetables!