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[Paula Wethington]

BlogsMonroe went down Thursday afternoon.
http://monroetalks.com/forum/index.php?topic=11787.0

If you haven't been on the Monroe on a Budget blog before, I write about saving money. I also post a lot of headlines and links of interest to families on a budget in southeast Michigan.

While the blogs are down, I'll do a Monroe on a Budget mini-blog thread on MonroeTalks. Once the blogs are back up, check out my site or refer a friend. A lot of local families will be on unemployment checks next month, and if you've been following the headlines you know the government and non-profit agencies have already been straining to keep up with existing case loads.

What can you do in the meantime? Look for any and all possible ways to save money. You may find them in very unexpected ways.

Things you want to know about today include:

Free eEdition of the Monroe Evening News this weekend.
http://monroetalks.com/forum/index.php?topic=11782.0
The e-edition does not include the coupons or inserted sales fliers that are in the print edition. Personally, I want coupons so I get home delivery. But you see everything else in pdf format and can keyword search stories for about a month back. For example, public service announcements such as scholarship applications, clothing giveaways and food pantry dates are printed throughout the week in the Community Page section in the print edition. I do cross-post notices on the MonroeTalks calendar and budget blog as appropriate, but the reason those notices get posted on line in the first place is that they were sent to the attention of the newspaper.

Frugal Village members talk about "What did you get free in December?"
http://www.frugalvillage.com/forums/showthread.php?t=112860
The MEN runs Sara Noel's Frugal Village column on Sundays in the Living section. The Frugal Village site has a forum where people talk about frugal living, saving money and what to do when you or the spouse gets a layoff notice. You'll find me posting on those boards from time to time.
This link sends you to a really great thread - did you ever consider all the ways you can or do receive free things that your family can use?

We the Savers campaign
http://www.wethesavers.com/?utm_source=money_saving_mom&utm_medium=Banner&utm_content=160x600&utm_campaign=wethesavers
ING Direct is hosting a public service campaign called We the Savers. Participants are invited to read and sign a Declaration of Financial Independence that focuses on good stewardship, patience, prudence and spending less than you earn. There's a discussion forum, campaign buttons you can put on your instant message or social networking site, and reader polls.

Oakland University allocates more financial aid funds
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081220/SCHOOLS/812200388
A snippet from the story: About 200 students have inquired about the free assistance. The university is asking for written verification showing that their financial situation has significantly changed. About 15 percent of those students have been shown to be eligible for the special assistance, said university spokesman Ted Montgomery.

Freep's list of 10 family fun places that don't cost a dime
http://www.freep.com/article/20081220/FEATURES01/812200335
The Monroe County Library System joined the Museum Adventure Pass campaign in late October. All you need to do is show a library card at a participating library and you'll get FREE tickets to participating MAP attractions all over the metro Detroit area. Gas prices are still low, so is a perfect excuse to get the family out of the house for an day trip that you would otherwise might not be able to afford. Crafters - check out the possibilities under Arts and Scraps!

[Paula Wethington]

Another thing I do at Monroe on a Budget is pointing out sales and deals that are available in Monroe stores. The thinking is - if you have to spend money, you want that money to go as far as possible.

Some highlights from the Friday and Saturday sales fliers in MEN.

ElderBeerman: Doorbusters until 1 p.m. today include 70 percent off Trim-a-Home (think last-minute Christmas gifts).
Sears: Doorbusters until noon today include flannel sheets, a slow cooker and several sweaters for him.
Meijer: One day sale today includes coupon of $5 off any purchase Meijer gift cards at least $50 or more. Make sure you grab the coupon in the flier. (Nobody says you have to give those gift cards away - use them for your next grocery bill).
Busch's: Sale starts Monday and includes ham, turkey, clementines and Edy's ice cream.
Hollywood Video: Coupons in fliers with rent one get one free deals.
Staples: 25 percent off select Kodak photo paper. Free holiday printing kit with purchase of HP multipacks (save the freebies for next holiday season).
Rite Aid: Sale starts Sunday and includes lots of candy deals. Lots of coupons in flier for health and beauty products. Go through your Rite Aid merchandise receipts Nov. 16 through Dec. 24 and enter them on line for a Gift of Savings rebate. I've got $10 in rebates earned already.

[Paula Wethington]

Pick up your print edition or go to the e-edition (remember - e-edition is free this weekend because of snow) and go to page 4A of today Dec. 20 The Monroe Evening News.
http://monroeeveningnews.mi.newsmemory.com/

There's a letter titled "Where's the bailout for renters in need?"

A snippet: "There is much attention being focused on those in foreclosure, while we are left forgotten. Where is the help for us? When one goes to seek help from agencies like FIA and MCOP, there is none to be found. At MCOP, we were actually told in order to get help we needed to be homeless and prove it. At FIA, they simply won't help with housing costs."

Well, there's been a lot of buzz about those homeowner assistance programs not being of much help even to homeowners. Read the fine print. If you owe more than the home is worth, or if the core problem is unemployment (and in southeast Michigan we have many families in both scenarios) many homeowners just are not going to qualify for the available programs. End of story.

But back to the question nearly every family in southeast Michigan is asking: Where's MY bailout?

Your bailout will be a patchwork quilt of community resources, discounts, and frugal living techniques that you will have to assemble on your own. What works for one household will not work for another because of family circumstances, what neighborhood you live in, medical conditions, etc. But there are a lot more money-saving possibilities out there than the usual government assistance agencies and headlined financial bailouts that you may or may not qualify for.

Examples:

Angel Food Ministries - this low-cost grocery purchase program is available to ANY ONE of ANY income level. You do not have to be a food stamp family to participate, although you can use food stamps to pay for your purchase. I will be picking up two boxes of groceries this morning that I ordered from AF. http://www.angelfoodministries.com.

Military, senior citizen, auto club, college kid and "good grades" discounts - these can be difficult to find because they are not always advertised, are found in the "fine print" in the sales fliers, or have very short time spans. But did you ask your car insurance company about "good grades" discount or "college kid away from home" discount for the young drivers? Are you reading the sales fliers closely enough to watch for the one or two days a month you might get a senior discount at a favorite department store? Did you check the auto club discount list to see services you can make use of? Did you know that MCCC college ID can get you a discounted monthly pass on Lake Erie Transit?

Grocery coupons and sales - Yes I do buy generic products from time to time. But why would I buy a bag of generic frozen veggies that when I can use a coupon + sale to get name brand frozen veggies free? Yes, I've done that. How do you do that? Start collecting grocery coupons and do your own matching up to the sales. You don't need to pay the subscription coupon sites to do that for you. I point out a few examples each week at Monroe on a Budget on where coupons and local sales match up. But all you need is a stack of coupons and the sales fliers for your neighborhood (hint: home delivery newspaper) -- and the willingness to break out of long-established grocery shopping routines of "I always shop here because ...".

Drugstore rebates and discount programs - It's going to seem like a lot of work to participate and keep track of these programs. But I started that routine a year ago and realized the other frugal bloggers were right: you can significantly cut the cost of everyday products like toothpaste, aspirin, candy and toilet paper by participating in those deals. I've even received two antibiotic prescriptions free at Meijer. Start with one drugstore or program at a time -- and when you figure out those logistics, add another. More discussion about those deals can be found at Monroe on a Budget when the blogs are back up.

God Works! soup kitchen dinners - This is another resource that is available to ANY Monroe County family who is in need of a free dinner. There is no paperwork to fill out. There is no income requirement. Just show up at the church that is hosting dinner that night and eat. Use the money you would have otherwise spent on groceries to pay another bill you can't get help with. http://www.gwsoupkitchen.com

Thrift shops, rummage sales, hand-me-downs and Mom2Mom sales - You can find amazingly good stuff on the second-hand market. Here's the example I often give: buy one pair of good jeans on sale at the department store. Then buy three pairs of second-hand jeans at the thrift shop. Save the "good jeans" for when you need to "dress to impress." Wear the second-best jeans when you are cleaning house or doing grungy chores. http://mom2momlist.com and check my blog when we're back on line for a list of the Monroe-area thrift shops.

[TheShepherd]

All great ideas Paula.

I plan on doing a story the first of the year where I try to not buy anything new during 2009.

I want to see if TBG can carry on without any new purchases for any of my projects.

[Paula Wethington]

I bet Shep will have some really great posts on gardening.

I tried to adopt leftover flower plants this spring from one of my friends' gardens, but they didn't take very well to transplanting.

[Paula Wethington]

Living on a budget doesn't mean you have no social life. It just means that you get very resourceful.

My husband and I were invited to a Christmas party tonight. The request was to bring a dish to pass, and a $15 gift for a "greedy gift exchange." (Yes, that party game where other people can swipe your present.)

My husband's gift offering is a Christmas music CD, retail value $15, Wal-Mart sale price $10.

My gift offering is two glass ornaments from Elder-Beerman that feature winter birds on snowy white balls, retail value $16, doorbuster sale price $5.

Our food offering will be a candy cane cake. I keep a supply of "potluck friendly" pantry items around (stocking up on favorite items when there are sales) so that I can create something quick and usually without a run to the grocery store for "one more thing." On this afternoon's occasion, everything I needed for the recipe was already in the house.

Here's the recipe. Enjoy!:

http://www.bettycrocker.com/Recipes/recipe.aspx?recipeId=36999

[TheShepherd]

I came home from Meijer with a pair of winter boots for $18.00.  The tag said $50.00.

That's a 64% savings.

They were on sale, I saved $5 by buying the $50 gift card first, I had a $10 coupon from the Pharmacy and a coupon out of today sales flier.

[TheShepherd]

I bet Shep will have some really great posts on gardening.

I tried to adopt leftover flower plants this spring from one of my friends' gardens, but they didn't take very well to transplanting.

I can help.

[Paula Wethington]

If you found no coupons in your Sunday Dec. 21 newspaper, do not panic.

I get home delivery of both the MEN and the Sunday edition of the Detroit Free Press and there were no coupons in either newspaper. There also was some chatter on the Frugal Village forums about the coupon schedule and that no coupons would be expected this week.

If you are new to coupons, be aware that the coupon companies schedule packets on the weeks they expect will get the most impact. The Sundays of, or just before, holiday weekends generally do not have coupons. Why? A lot of people are traveling and not home.

Besides, a lot of grocery stores are closed on Christmas Day and / or close early on Christmas Eve.

Do not panic. I will let you know when they return.

On the first Sunday of January 2008, the coupons came back with a bang - SIX coupon packets in the MEN!

The off-weeks are among the reasons you keep a coupon box or packet to save and sort your coupons, and purge them when they expire. It's rare that coupons can be matched to sales on the same Sunday of their release - although Rite Aid is very good about letting you know about immediate matches in their sales fliers. No, you are more likely to find those sales matches a bit later during the coupon's shelf life.

Now, you can pay a subscription fee for coupon site to tell you the best coupon + sale matches each week, but why? All you have to do is set aside the grocery fliers and read them. If something looks like a good price to you, see if you have a coupon to match it. The local grocery and drugstore fliers are spread out in the Saturday, Sunday and Monday editions of MEN, depending on the advertisers' requests.

Now, for an abbreviated version of the Monroe on a Budget Sunday sales fliers report:

Kroger (sale starts Monday): Buy two Jimmy Dean roll or cooked sausage at two for $5, get dozen eggs free.
CVS: Several free after extra bucks items today and Monday include EAS AdvantEdge bar and Listerine; also buy one get one free on all Revlon lip and nail color (coupons in circulation).
Meijer has a Santa Bucks sale with coupons in the flier good on almost any one general merchandise item priced $19.97 and up today through Dec. 23. Grocery flier items include Breyer ice cream two for $5. Pillsbury flower $1.99 a bag, Imperial margarine two for $1.
Walgreens has four-day coupons in its flier today through Wednesday that include Pringles, digital prints for 10 cents, buy one get one half off selected Walgreens OTC products that can be matched up to a rebate offer available in the Easy Saver catalog.
Aldi has 20 ounce Cornish hen at $1.99 each, stuffing mix at 79 cents, 10 pound Russet potatoes for $1.99.

You will also find last-minute holiday sales fliers for several other stores including Sears, Kohl's, Toys R Us, Kmart, Target and Big Lots. There are already huge discounts on many holiday merchandise items -- it will be interesting to see what deals are announced on Dec. 26.

[Paula Wethington]

If you haven't yet read the MEN publisher's letter to readers and advertisers in today's edition, I started a separate thread on that topic:

http://monroetalks.com/forum/index.php?topic=11808.0

Now, how does the Monroe on a Budget blog fit into the goals of Monroe Publishing Co. as stated by our publisher to "all of us in our community must support one another"?

My blog's focus is how Monroe County residents can save money.

I figure if local families know how to save money on family and household expenses, there will be ripple effects to the local community far beyond the immediate gratification of one family saving $5 at the grocery store.

Maybe it's one more family who can make a donation to the food pantry basket.
Maybe it's one more family who can afford to keep their child in a school sports program because they've figured out how to come up with the pay-to-participate fees.
Maybe it's one more employee at the retail store who stays on the payroll because customers have realized the store provides products they need at fair prices.

I don't have a firm rule that "only MEN advertisers" get mentioned on Monroe on a Budget. From time to time, I do mention sales and deals from businesses that aren't advertisers and in some cases may be located in a nearby community.

But yes, I'm pulling much of that retail shopping information from the sales fliers that arrive in my home delivery edition of the MEN.

Reason: I quickly realized that a general tip of "shop with coupons" does not have quite the same impact as "free frozen vegetables this week with coupon + sale price at such-and-such grocery store."

And it takes me far less time to look and sort through the sales fliers that arrive in my daily newspaper than it would to take look up every local store's web site once or twice a week (depending on their sales cycles).

Besides, the value of newspaper coverage goes way beyond business information. Our publisher said in her letter today, "Much of the credible information on the Web is produced by newspapers."

She is absolutely correct. Most of the public service announcements that are sent to my attention at The Monroe Evening News are arriving because I am a newspaper reporter - not because I host a very popular local blog. The civic clubs, committees and businesses involved still want the credibility of the newspaper publication. When I tell my sources that I'm also posting their announcement on my blog, they are pleased. But they still want to know "when will it be in the newspaper?"

Yeah, I'm ranting a bit.

Can you tell I want my blog to be back up?

If you like what I've been posting on this mini-blog thread, do check out and bookmark Monroe on a Budget when BlogsMonroe gets back in service.

I really do post on the blog almost every day, and often several times a day.

[Frenchfry]

I don’t venture away from the ‘Talks that much and I just wanted to say that I do enjoy the mini-blog.

Perhaps the blogs shouldn’t be separate….a blog category with the various topics could be created and the stats system currently in place should work fine.

Or the author could place their blog into the most appropriate spot with a special icon indicating it’s an official blog.

[kelly3927]

Thanks Paula for the mini-blog while blogsmonroe is down!  I have been missing Monroe on a Budget this weekend!!!!

[Paula Wethington]

My mother asked if I was going through blogging withdrawal. I told her I started a mini blog on the MT forums. I am sure she is laughing uncontrollably.   

In the meantime, you readers have some interesting ideas about the blogs. I'll point out your comments to the IT staff after they get the immediate problem solved. There is a BlogsMonroe feed on the MT home page, but I suspect many of you have set your bookmarks past that page.

Anyway here are some headlines of the day:

AP story posted at MSNBC: Holiday cards echo tough times.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28337887/
I sent out greeting cards this year with a newsletter as usual. However, I also posted on the budget blog about buying 90 cards for $6.36 at Wal-Mart. And my family newsletter was a half page instead of a full page, and printed on plain computer paper. That was just enough space to let people know we still live in Monroe, DH and I still have jobs, daughter is still in college and that we did try to do something fun and interesting this year.

Ann Arbor News Financial Makeover
http://www.mlive.com/annarbornews/business/index.ssf/2008/12/troubled_homeowners_need_to_ta.html
I posted about this personal finance package when the original stories appeared. Now there are updates about the three families who were featured.

ABC and USA Today put two families on a grocery diet
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/ConsumerFinance/story?id=6493167&page=1
Grocery and drugstore expenses are one of the easiest places to cut back on your budget. But are you making the best available choices? Sometimes what seems like the cheapest option, isn't. When the blogs are back up, check out my sidebar called "grocery shopping on a budget." You'll find links and ideas that include, but go way beyond, my long-standing coupon tricks.

And what was for dinner at the budget blogger's house tonight?
Roast beef with potatoes and a carrot from Angel Food Ministries boxes I picked up yesterday, cooked all day in slow cooker. I put some chopped garlic and a leftover half onion in the Crock-pot too. Side dish of frozen peas that were a recent freebie on sale+coupon. Milk that was $2.50 a gallon at Meijer last week. Dessert was choice of dark chocolate mini bars I bought today on sale+coupon at CVS Pharmacy or leftover "candy cane cake" that I took to a friend's party last night (scroll up through this thread for that recipe link.)

[Frenchfry]

Aldi’s ads always seem to offer gallons of milk for $1.99…..I’m beginning to think it’s an everyday price.

[Paula Wethington]

And this is where you can take advantage of stores being next door or across the street from to each other.

You go to Meijer and load up on what you'd like to buy from those sales.

Then go to Aldi and buy a gallon or two of milk.

Yes, I have done that at least once.

Other shopping errands that match up well together in Monroe is Kroger with CVS Pharmacy; and Walgreens on N. Monroe St. with Kmart.