Use Your Kids' School Papers to Make a Fun, Cheap, Personalized Christmas Gift

In an earlier blog I talked about some cheap Christmas gifts you could make. Here's a great idea for all you parents out there. You know those school papers you always have piled up all over the place? Why not use those to make a scrapbook for the grandparents? It's a fun gift, gives you a chance to show off your kids artistic and academic talents and, when coupled with photos, keeps grandparents in the loop with what's been going on in your kids' lives. And who could ask for anything more than that!

Making Your Own Presents Makes for a Cheap Christmas

Have you started your Christmas shopping yet? You know, the uneducated would think that it's way too early to start thinking about Christmas. Veteran shoppers know better. If you want to avoid the insanity of Christmas you need to start shopping and putting things together early. That goes double if you're planning on making your own Christmas presents, because not only are you going to be able to get supplies much cheaper now that you will in just a few months...you're also going to need lots of time to get things put together!

If you're looking for a cheap way to do Christmas, put some thought into homemade Christmas gifts. You probably have hundreds of photos stored away. What about a digital picture book? (If you're looking for a cheap way to do it without doing all the work yourself, Snapfish is great for low budget photo gifts.) You can also keep a blog of all the big events in your family's life for the past year and turn that into a book.

And what about tree ornaments? Gingerbread men are popular, cheap to make and always fun. Massage oils are easy to make, and a quick trip to the dollar store will yield lots of fun knick-knacks for gift baskets (complete with cookies). You're going to want to wait a few months to get started on the edibles, but there's no better time to start on things like scrapbooks than now.

Remember, it's never too early to start thinking about Christmas. Save yourself that December headache. You know you want to.

I Admit It-I'm Just a Geek!

If you couldn't tell from the name of this site, I like coupons. See Jack shop. See Jack shop online. See Jack save. I admit it, I'm a cheapskate. I hate paying full price for anything. That's why I launched Jack's coupon codes...I spend so much time hunting around for savings on things, I figured I'd make it easy for everyone else!

Now, along that same vein I have to admit I'm also a little bit of a geek. Have you ever read Will Wheaton's "Just a Geek"? That's me-cool in a nerdy kind of way. Or maybe that's nerdy in a cool kind of way. I mean, I've never been on Star Trek, but other than that? I can totally relate.

Anyway, as a geek I spend a lot of time online hunting around for good deals on electronics. Hey, my graphics card needs updated on at least a semi-regular basis. How else is everyone else in my house supposed to keep up with the latest and greatest in video games? Behold the beauty of NewEgg. Check it out!

And since we offer NewEgg coupon codes through the website I get to take advantage of my own "merchandise". It's a beautiful, beautiful thing.

Cheap, Family Friendly Summer Fun

You don't have to break your budget to have a great vacation. With summer vacation right on top of us we all want to spend our days touring the mountains and going to Disneyland. Unfortunately, with the economy being what it is it isn't always possible for our budgets to stretch that far!


The good news is, you can have some friendly summer vacation fun at home without spending a fortune. Pick up a movie from the movie store and pop some popcorn for a cheap movie theatre experience, and pack up the family for a day at the park and hiking instead of spending a week at the mountains or the beach. Make sure you're stocked up on plenty of outdoor activities like Frisbees and baseball bats for a little backyard fun-you can pick these up at your local dollar store.


Finally, what about scrapbooking? You probably have a ton of digital images stored away on your computer that you're not doing anything with at the moment. Pick up a cheap scrapbook frame, dig out old, unused newspapers, socks, buttons and various materials around the house and print out those pictures. Use all that to make a one of a kind scrapbook together that you're never going to forget.

Easy Ways to Save Money on Your Wedding

1) One of the biggest expenses you're ever going to have is your wedding. For some reason even people who are notoriously frugal spend a fortune on their wedding ceremony, which is a great deal when you can get it but can put a serious dent in your budget if you can't. Fortunately there are plenty of strategies and tips out there to help you save big on your wedding ceremony. If you're looking for a way to put a wedding together under budget take the time to check out some of these sites:

a) Ways to Save Money on Your Wedding. http://weddings.about.com/od/weddingplanningtools/tp/Costcutters.htm
b) Trendy Tips to Save Money on your Wedding Day. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2009/feb/15/some-trendy-ways-to-save-on-your-special-day/
c) Ten Ways to Save on Your Wedding. http://www.bankrate.com/finance/personal-finance/top-10-ways-to-save-money-on-your-wedding-1.aspx
d) The Do It Yourself Weddings Guide. http://www.do-it-yourself-weddings.com/

How Your Public Library Can Help Save You Money

Do you know, it's absolutely amazing what you can do with a public library these days. Today's library is completely outfitted to be, not just the dusty research center it used to be when we were kids, but a fully outfitted center of information and technology. The library next to my house has more computers than an IT department and has a huge assortment of online reading material powered by Google to make it more user friendly than your average university library center.

How can libraries help save you money? First and foremost, let's talk computers and Internet (since it seems like that's what everybody's doing with them anyway). Many libraries now offer free Wi-Fi and plug-in ports for your power cords. Several people have suggested working at the library to cut down on the cost of both your Internet and electricity by taking advantage of their network and simply making sure your laptop is fully charged before you begin the long walk home.

There's also the matter of entertainment. Libraries have a huge assortment of books, movies and music they're willing to loan out for free, and these usually aren't your grandmother's multi-media. I'm actually usually pretty impressed with what my library has to offer. There are programs in everything from knitting to vegetarian cooking to yoga, not to mention reading and crafts programs for the kids.

And of course, there are books and videos you don't have to buy, including digital media. Libraries can go a long toward helping you save money, so take some time to see what yours has to offer today.

Start Saving Money on Gas-the Easy Way

Buying gas is no fun. Seriously. There's something that seems very wrong about having to spend hundreds of dollars a month just to be able to get around, and with rising fuel costs those are hundreds of dollars a month you may not have to spend. Since I'm heartily sick of the summer gas prices that are killing my wallet at the moment I went out and did a little digging to see what I could find. I was surprised at how many ways there are to help save you money on gas! (And no, I'm not just talking about that study that involves spending lots of time coasting and trying to maintain proper following distance in bumper to bumper interstate traffic. Those people had way too much time on their hands.)

Check these sites out for ways save on your transportation costs:

http://www.kiplinger.com/tools/slideshows/slideshow_pop.html?nm=save_on_transportation
http://www.opentravelinfo.com/travel-guide/uncategorized/how-to-save-money-on-gas-29-tips.html

Recycled Toilets-Urban Legend or Cold, Hard Fact?

Are you a Mythbusters fan? Some of the stuff they come up with on that show are enough to leave you flinching in sympathy for the poor television executives that have to peer over their shoulders. There are a few things in real life that can seem just a crazy…like the concept of using a recycled toilet as a planter to redecorate your front lawn without sending your expenses through the roof.

Can you say ewwww?

Apparently this fun urban legend is actually fact. I didn't take the time to do the research. Some things you just don't want to know, although I'd be willing to bet this was a custom that got started with dumping outdated household appliances out into the back yard and leaving them to gather dirt. Supposedly they go well with a ceramic "bathroom" décor in the front lawn, complete with bathtub and small ceramic lawn art. I was like-yikes.

That's just not something I'm going to be willing to do with my toilet when the day comes to give it a proper burial. When it's gone it's gone man. You've got to let it go.

http://blogs.moneycentral.msn.com/smartspending/archive/2008/08/26/recycled-toilets-and-other-strange-ways-to-save-money.aspx. \

Are Online Grocery Services Really Cheaper Than the Real Thing?

It seems like everyone is turning to the Internet for just about everything these days. There's a reason for that! When you have this huge global network of resources at your fingertips that can point you toward just about anything and save you money on absolutely everything it's very, very hard to remember why going to the library or your local hobby shop to pick something up sounded like a good idea in the first place. Ordering online isn't always the answer to your budgeting prayers, hwoev er. Sometimes you're going to pay more for convenience, which is what people are finding over and over again when they go grocery shopping online.

Surprised? Why would you be? Online grocery services have been around for centuries! All right, so maybe they didn't have the Internet to help them place their orders, but people could and did contact their local grocer to have their groceries delivered straight to their door! Now businesses like NetGrocer.com are taking that idea and running with it

Shopping online for groceries is certainly appealing. Who really wants to go to the grocery store when it's five o'clock and you've still got to cook dinner? How much easier would it be to place an order once a week and let the grocery store van deliver it right to your front stoop? Hey, restaurants have been doing it for years. Why not you?

Here's the catch: You're going to pay for that convenience. Yes, you might be able to get your groceries a little cheaper, and you'll be able to buy in bulk without having to pay for a Costco membership, but I have 2 words for you-shipping and handling. You have to pay to have those groceries delivered to your front doorstep, and that's probably going to eat into any savings you may have enjoyed otherwise.

Don't get me wrong. Online grocery services are a great idea, and there will probably come a day when they are more cost effective than the average supermarket courtesy of their supply chain. Until then, however, you're going to get what you pay for. If your budget is already stretched to the limit you might find that extra bit of tug is just a bit more than your budget can bear.

How to Save Your Emergency Fund, No Matter How Tight Money Happens to Be

One of the most important things you can do to make sure your financial future is protected is make sure you've got money in an emergency fund. After all, you never know when a pipe's going to break or someone's going to get sick, and you don't want to find yourself floundering for funds when the time comes! There are plenty of ways to save money (we'd be here all day if we started talking about them all!) so I'm attaching my own personal favorite links for saving money and making your dreams of an emergency fund a reality. You might be surprised at what they can do for you.

http://zenhabits.net/2007/07/21-strategies-for-creating-an-emergency-fund-and-why-its-critical/
http://beingfrugal.net/2007/12/18/how-to-save-an-emergency-fund-when-money-is-tight/
http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/financial_literacy/July07_build_emergency_fund_a1.asp

Save Money: Don't Throw Out Your Change!

When you find change lying around the house, what do you do with it? Do you put it away carefully, or do you toss it aside somewhere? Do you even know where your change is? You might be surprised to find out that by not saving all your change you might actually be missing out on a great chance to save money…and hundreds of dollars that you could be putting into your bank account!

Remember when your mom used to tell you that every little bit counts? She was right! Pick a designated spot in your house to toss your change. Wait a few months, then count it. You can either count it and roll it yourself, take it to a Coinstar machine or take it to the bank. (Most banks have automated coin counting machines.)

Watch and be amazed!

Easy Ways to Save Money on Groceries

Do you ever feel like you're spending wayyyyy too much money on groceries these day? Most people are, which is something that takes a lot of us by surprise! Here are the hottest tips to save money on groceries the next time you run out for milk and eggs.

1) Make a list. This prevents walking up and down the aisles and randomly buying everything that looks appealing.

2) Use coupons. Yes, coupon clipping is a pain (and you have to remember not to buy things just because you have a coupon for it!) but you might be surprised at how much money you can save with a little prudent shopping.

3) Shop wholesale and discount clubs like BJ's or Costco, where you can save money by shopping in bulk

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4) Stock up on non-perishables like flour and sugar when they are on sale.

5) Plan your menu around your coupons and local sales rather than planning your meals and hoping you'll get a good deal.

Welcome to Jack's!

Welcome! I was going to start this blog off rolling with some major plans to help you save money and stretch your budget in today's floundering economy, but then I realized that before I could help you it would be good if I told you a little bit about who I am and what I'm doing! So, I'm Jack's Coupons. What I do is dig up fabulous coupons to sites all over the web to help people like you save money and stretch your budget farther. I can help you find cheap gifts, cheap vacations, cheap…well, just about anything! Come check me out at www.JacksCouponCodes.com and visit back here often for great tips on how to save money so you can afford just about anything!