So, things have picked up around here as I have been trying to find additional part time work to supplement our income. Unfortunately that has meant less time for blogging. However, don’t give up on me :) As I mentioned in a previous post, I am still planning on continuing the blog, I just may reduce my posting a bit. I am still praying about it, and I will let you know when I come up with a new plan :) For today, I thought I would share with you a bit of what I have been up to…..

As I said, I have been looking for additional ways to supplement our income and/or reduce our spending. Here is what I have found recently…

1) The Craigslist Gigs Section
If you live near a city, this could be an excellent resource for you. In this section, people in need of services or temporary employees post requests and job opportunities. Michael always uses this section of Craigslist, but I never thought it would have anything for me. However, once I started looking at it, I realized how wrong I was! There are potential freelance writing gigs, housecleaning, brand ambassadors, tutoring, and other random opportunities. This past weekend I got a 20 hour job helping sell custom-fit solid-ban toe rings at a booth at the Southern Women’s Expo. I had a very positive experience, and it was fun to be part of a great event. Plus, I made some decent money in a short amount of time. Although many of the “gigs” aren’t desirable options, there are some that are very relevant. I now check this section everyday, just to see what is available. These opportunities are perfect for me because I can find things that fit with my school schedule, and don’t restrict me to a permanent schedule.

2) BookSneeze.com
This is a great resource for anyone who has a blog. This company will send you free books if you agree to write at least a 200 word review of that book on your blog. I LOVE to read, so this is a very exciting opportunity for me. Right now, I am reading Unleashed by Erwin McManus, and so far it is excellent. I will let you know more once I have finished it :)

3) Re-Organizing My Coupon Binder and Creating A Price Sheet
Whew…this one is a lot of work, but I know it will be worth it in the end. Since I have a bit of a break from school right now (until next week), this was one of the major projects I wanted to tackle. My coupon binder had all but turned into a disaster zone due to my neglect of it in recent weeks. So far I have a gotten rid of all my expired coupons, got all my clipping up-to-day, and have all my coupons sorted. To the left, is a picture of where I am in the process :) All that is left is putting them in their proper place in the binder.

The next part of my day, is to start my price sheet. A price sheet is a spreadsheet of the items I buy most often, and their corresponding prices at specific stores. I am doing this so I can properly evaluate sales, and know if I am really getting a good deal or not. I am going to start my price sheet with some receipts I have been saving, and then add any missing information during my shopping trip later this afternoon. I hope to have a template that you can use to create your own price list posted by next week. It will be a work in progress; I just hope to get a start.

I know it sounds like a lot of work, but I have heard from multiple couponing experts that it is the key to maximizing your savings. I figure an afternoon of work is worth major savings throughout the year. Also, since I want to start purchasing mostly whole foods, this will really help me know who has the best prices.

Hope all is well with all of you, and I would love to hear any of your recent money saving/healthy living news in the comment section below!