Favorite Things: Ladybug Labels

As I've mentioned before, I'm a bit of a monogramming freak. I just love monogrammed gear; plus, it is really fun to give personalized gifts. I love giving Ladybug Labels. The labels can be used on stationery, as book plates, on party favor bags, and more. Colorful, cute and reasonably priced, they get the Cheap and Cheerful stamp of approval. Check it out!

Cheap and Cheerful Chatter: Great Money Saving Ideas from our Faithful Readers

Three of Cheap and Cheerful's faithful readers sent in some super tips this week. Great advice from three great people. Enjoy!

The first is from Julie in Seattle:
"Hi there! Thank you so much for the blog, I check it every day now! Love it! I have another site I go to when I need new electronics, which is how I found my camera. It's called slickdeals.net, and it's a consumer-driven site where people post amazing internet deals that they find...a lot of them are "mistakes" that are made online that customers can take advantage on. For example, one person may see that Best Buy accidentally marked their latest color printer down to 39.99 instead of 99.99, so you can jump on it if you act quickly enough. Other deals are just great finds that people post about, perhaps a one-day sale that Sears is having on treadmills or something. I found my amazing new Kodak Z8612 through slickdeals for 129.99 with free shipping, and most online stores carry it for around $200. Anyway just thought you'd appreciate the tip if you hadn't heard about the site before!"

Here's a tip from Todd in Sacramento:
"With gas prices on the climb, who wouldn’t take advantage of a steep price per gallon discount? If you shop at Safeway/Vons you accrue PowerPump rewards quarterly every time you use your Safeway Club Card. For every $100 you spend while using your club card, you earn a 10¢ off per gallon PowerPump Reward. If your family is like me, you can rack up a serious grocery tab over 3 months. You can save big on gas by simply purchasing your normal share of groceries, gift cards and prescriptions. The advertized price per gallon was $2.97. But by utilizing our saved up PowerPump Rewards, we cut the price per gallon by 80¢ and filled up two tanks at $2.17 per gallon. All together, our purchase of 27 gallons of gas saved us almost $22.00 and all we had to do is buy the staples our family traditionally buys and redeem the award before it expired. Fill’er up!"

And Jody in Gilroy wrote,
"Instead of eating out, eat outside at your own house. Dining alfresco can make a regular dinner feel like date night."

Keep the great tips coming! I'll "publish" three more reader tips next week. Will one be yours?

Deal of the Day: Ralph Lauren Polo Shirts

Remember Money Mantra #1 -- Buy cheap, it's always cheap. Well, there is nothing cheap about a true Ralph Lauren Polo shirt but you can get this quality item for 33% off at the Nordstrom Men's Half Yearly sale. There are colors to please even the most particular man in your life. Or if you are a man, buy one for yourself! The special someone in your life will appreciate your classic style. Plus, your budget will appreciate the savings.

Deal of the Day: Barefoot Contessa cookbook

As my sister-in-law is fond of saying, "Life is too short to eat bad food." If it is tasty food you seek, look no further than Ina Garten's latest cookbook titled Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics. Ina's recipes keep it simple -- fresh ingredients prepared with layers of flavor. The book is just $23.00 -- 36% off the cover price on Amazon.com. Trust me, if you buy this book, it will soon become your go-to guide when planning parties or having your parents over for dinner. Having Ina in your kitchen with you is a no-fail investment.

Cheap and Cheerful's Budgeting Basics

When it comes to saving money or simply using your financial resources more effectively, there are two basic strategies to consider. Each strategy can lower your bottom line and increase your savings (or your slush fund!). Even a combination of these methods can simply focus you in on cash flow and help you become more conscious of your spending habits.

1. The DIY (Do-it-Yourself) Strategy
Does cash have a sneaky way of finding its way out of your wallet whenever you leave the house? Try this: Make your own coffee. (No Starbucks.) Cut your own lawn. (No mow, blow and go service.) Wash your own car, iron your own shirts, bring your lunch to work. You get the picture. Please do keep this in mind: Small changes with this strategy can add up to significant savings. But as you choose which "chores" to bring back to the domicile, do keep your sanity level in mind. For example, if I ironed my husband's shirts, we might save between $40 - $60 a month. However, I'd have to gouge my eyes out with one of the metal coat hangers. Touch ups, yes. Pressing shirts, no. Sanity over savings in that budget category at our house. Also, please do not try at-home eyebrow waxing. Leave that to the professionals.

2. Slash and Burn Strategy
Reduce the categories in your budget that have become inflated. Maybe $100 a month on take out used to be reasonable but now it's zapping your reserve for much needed car maintenance or long delayed home projects. Eliminate or reduce the take out food category and roll that cash into another column. You might also reduce your allocation to categories like entertainment, cable/cell phone/internet, or gifts. Freeing up your money for bigger and better things can be really satisfying.

Cheap and Cheerful wants to know: What two spending categories would you focus on if you applied either one of these strategies?

Favorite Things: Olive Juice Dresses

Public confession: I am a sucker for well made, unique dresses for girls. And sometimes to find such a dress, you have to be willing to shell out some cash. Since I try to follow Money Mantra #3 and never pay full price, I eagerly await the sales at Olive Juice Kids. Personally, I wish the Shelby dress (pictured here) came in my size! My daughter's closet is well stocked at the moment, but I had fun looking and thought you might as well.

P.S. -- Happy 7th Birthday to my favorite Olive Juice niece, Miss JCN.

Deal of the Day: Exposures Picture Frames

As someone who takes a lot of photos, I am always on the hunt for great deals on quality frames.

Exposures has some amazing deals right now -- up to 80% off. The frames pictured above are only $7.99 for an 11x14 and $4.99 for an 8x10. Check it out! Also on sale are holiday cards, stationery, and photo albums.

Cheap and Cheerful wants to know: Where do you find good deals on frames?