3 Ways to Save Money This Halloween

I know – you’re probably thinking “why on earth are you bringing up Halloween already?!”. But the truth is, Halloween will be here before we know it and I’ve always been a huge believer in preparing WELL in advance! So here are five strategies for you to start thinking about to SAVE money on Halloween 2012:

1. Halloween Costumes

Of course you can make your children’s Halloween costumes from scratch, but if you prefer to buy them already made (I’m guilty of it too!) – you can get these costumes at much cheaper prices now compared to when you go to purchase them in October. You can search Halloween Express and Spirit Halloween to search for your kids dream Halloween costume!

2. Halloween Candy

For those of us who live in the suburbs, we all know how much candy we go through on All Hollows Eve! So the best way to save money on Halloween candy is to purchase baby coupons and go to your local bulk foods store and buy candy in bulk when they have certain sales.

3. Halloween Decorations

This is my favorite part of Halloween! I love decorating my house and having the kids help out! Usually for Halloween decorations I go and raid my local Dollar General AS SOON as they begin to sell Halloween decorations (usually they put out the decorations on sale in September).

Halloween has been one of my favorite times of the year not only because I love the gorgeous autumn colors changing, but also because of the fun and excitement of Halloween! Hopefully these tips help you in cutting back your expenses this year. For more tips and tricks for saving money, visit Coupon-Smart.com and you can also purchase the Target coupons for this Also be on the lookout for Halloween coupons that we’ll be beginning to post in the next few weeks! 

5 Family Activities to do on Labor Day Weekend

Even though school has already started for most people, I’ve always considered Labor Day Weekend as the final kick off of the summer and the beginning of the school year. So I always like planning out something frugal for the final weekend!

1. Camping

Who doesn’t love packing up and heading out into the wilderness for the weekend! My kids love camping and it’s always something I’ve loved doing too! The great thing about camping on Labor Day Weekend is that its not extremely humid (like it was in July and August!) so you can enjoy a great outdoors weekend with the fam!

2. Local Festivals

Check your city’s website for local activities taking place, because most of the time there are festivals, events, and family activities going on for Labor Day Weekend. These festivals are usually either free, or very low cost to get in and you can make it a whole day event with the your little ones.

3. Go Swimming

This maybe the last nice weekend to take your kids to your local swimming park and let them enjoy swimming outdoors before the temperature drops. You can pack up a picnic, and make a whole day out of it you can do all these thing by purchasing target coupons.

4. Go Hiking

Going hiking is not only a great outdoors educational experience for your young ones, but it’s also great for getting some fitness! You can go to your local state park or national park and hike through the trails. Ensure to bring a first aid kit, lots of water, snacks, and fruits so you can get a good day event out of your hiking excursion.

5. Plan a Family BBQ

Now that the summer is over, most people are going to start getting into a busier routine and that includes your extended family. Why not throw a big family BBQ for Labor Day, but most of the time that’s the last time you’ll see them until Christmas gatherings begin. You can make it a very basic BBQ by just grilling up some hamburgers, or turn it into a potluck so that not all of the work falls on you! Don’t forget to use up some of your baby couponsto save your hard-earned money on prepping for the BBQ! .

How To Stop Wasting Food

Unfortunately in North America, wasting food has become a large problem in our society. In fact, 1.3 BILLION tons of food is wasted around the world each year. This is so unfortunate because there are so many countries in the world that have people dying everyday of starvation. So are some tips on how you can stop wasting so much food (and money!):

Stick To Your List

When you are grocery shopping, and you see a great sale, so many people buy the product just because it’s on sale. However, you should refrain from this. Before you go grocery shopping, make a list and STICK to that list and take some target coupons. Don’t get side tracked on the stores sales of the week because that causes you to buy unneeded food.

Use Leftovers

I hear of so many people who throw out whatever food is leftover from dinner and it makes me cringe to hear this! Not only are you wasting valuable food, but you might as well just throw away your money too! When dinner is done and there are usable leftovers, put them in a plastic container and you or someone in your family can take them to work the next day for lunch.

Plan Your Meals

Usually on the weekends, I have a meal plan in mind for the week and I precook my food. If you plan out your meals for the week, you are able to determine what you need and how much of it you’ll need. If you will purchase some target couponsthen this will help to eliminate waste.

Buy Proper Food Storage Containers

Of course we all want to buy the $1.00 plastic containers at the DollarTree, but if you are able to, you should invest in a glass container set as these actually keep your left over foods fresh longer than the plastic containers, not to mention that they are much safer for reheating your food.

3 Ways to Save Money at the Movie Theatre

We all love going to a movie with either friends, family, or a date . It’s always fun to go see a movie that you’ve never seen before, spend some time with friends or family, and of course, have some snacks! However, because the movie theatre industry has become such a monopoly they also raise those prices and a simple movie night can turn into a very expensive night out! For a family of four (2 adults & 2 children) it can cost the following:

2 Adults $25.98 (2 x $12.99)

2 Children $17.98 (2 x $8.99)

$43.96 ***This is WITHOUT food!

So I’ve done the research to find the absolute best strategies for you to save money on your movie nights whether you are going with a friend, a group of friends, or your whole family! By purchasing target Coupons, Have some tips that I missed? Comment below!

Go on “Cheap Night”

Most movie theatres feature a “cheap night” (it’s usually Tuesday). This “cheap night” is usually about 50% off the regular price. Cheap night is Tuesday at Empire Theatres, Cineplex, and Cinemark. AMC Theatres doesn’t appear to have a cheap night, but they do offer some great discounts randomly on tickets and food. Their August deal is 50% off Combo 1 or 2 http://go.amctheatres.com/august-combo-coupon. Regal Cinemas also does not offer cheap nights, but offers many great discounts on food and tickets randomly. They also offer $2 Candy Monday, $2 Popcorn Tuesday, and Regal Value Days randomly where you can get great discounts on tickets.

Bring Your Own Concessions

Food and drinks at the movie theatres can run up to a fairly hefty bill, so bring your own! I usually pop up some popcorn, go to the DollarTree and grab some bags of candy for the kids, and bring cans of pop or coffee . You can honestly save yourself $30 to $50!

Sign Up for Movie Rewards

So many people think purchasing target Coupons are scams, but the truth is they are designed to reward those movie-goers who frequently attend movies. AMC Theatres offers a program called AMB Stubs™, Regal Cinemas offers the Crown Club, and Cinemark offers a weekly email program where they send you exclusive discounts and offers.